The ADEA was signed into law in 1967 in order to address the issue of age discrimination. In the work place, there is a lot of age discrimination that still goes on in spite of the ADEA laws. Employers as well as employees should know what the ADEA says, and understand what their rights are in regards to their respective positions in the work place as it relates to the act. Not only does the ADEA protect an older employee from age discrimination in the workplace, it also makes it illegal for an employer to retaliate against an employee for playing a role in any litigation that is brought against an employer for age discrimination. The financial and emotional fall out of age discrimination in the work place can affect people for years after the initial occurrence. If you see age discrimination in the work place, do the right thing and report it.