Companies seek seniors to fill jobs

Bob Shemeligian

Thursday, March 13, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

At 66, Dave Gelbart has no plans to retire from his job with the Las Vegas Valley Water District, where he helps maintain and repair water lines.

"I feel great, and I love my job," says Gelbart, who started as a groundskeeper 15 years ago.

Gelbart believes older employees can be an asset in the workplace.

"Most older workers are reliable, and the employer receives the benefit of their experience," Gelbart said.

The sentiments of all three workers are shared by officials with the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, which on Wednesday conducted a job fair for older workers at the Grant Sawyer State Office Building.

"It's been great," said Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation's Vincent Zarrelli, who headed the job fair. "As you can see, several employers are represented, and we've had a lot of applicants show up, as many as 800 to 1,000."

This week has been declared by Gov. Bob Miller as Employ Older Workers Week, as the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation tries to heighten awareness of employing older Nevadans.

Gelbart's view of the positive benefits of hiring older workers is shared by fellow employee Patricia Polson, a customer service supervisor who began as a Water District clerk in 1972.

"I believe older workers are extremely dependable," said the 59-year-old Polson. "We bring a lot to the job in the form of experience and wisdom."

Gary Grinnell, 63, Water District senior civil engineer, said he doesn't believe age is an important factor in the workplace.

"It's not a question of age, it's a question of ability and motivation," Grinnell said.

"Senior workers have life-long history of skills that include customer service," said Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Karren Rhodes. "They tend to be punctual, dedicated to the needs of their employers and have strong values."

This viewpoint is shared by Michelle Rosen, Stardust spokeswoman.

"Older workers are dependable and they make a great contribution to our work environment," Rosen said. "We employ older workers in most every department. It's a fallacy when people say they take a lot of sick days. They're here and they want to work."

Shauna Matthews, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman, a corporation that did not participate in the job fair but which employs many older workers in Southern Nevada and throughout the nation, also praised older workers.

"We definitely invite older workers to apply," Matthews said. "We consider them an asset to our company."

Matthews said nearly 80,000 older workers punch in and out every day at 2,300 Wal-Mart stores throughout the nation -- including 10 stores in Nevada.

Although many employers have found benefits from employing older workers, there are some employers who have been accused of discrimination. Age discrimination in the workplace is both a federal and state offense, enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the state Equal Rights Commission.

Gelbart said that although he believes there are fewer examples of age discrimination in the workplace than in previous years, he believes it still occurs.

"Everything changes only when it has to -- and not before," Gelbart said.