Huh?? Nobody is saying the retirees are lowering the bar for others by accepting lower wages. They are switching careers and accepting jobs that pay less than their prior jobs. The jobs they are accepting pay them the prevailing wage and it is the same wage it will pay to a younger person.

This is not about the old versus the young. Pilots have been put into the situation of retiring at Age 65. There is nothing out there that prevents a pilot from changing careers when they hit 65. Or said pilot can sit around at home retired. There is also nothing out there that prevents a 35 year old furloughed pilot from changing careers. The article is merely discussing a study that found retirees who chose to accept another job (and it is a job that happened to pay less than their old one) are experiencing more job satisfaction. The new job pays less because it is a different job.