http://www.grandmamaryrocks.com/videos.html

With approval from the Congress Senate, the LIly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, was signed into law on January 29, 2009.

Lily Ledbetter was a 19 year employee of Goodyear, who found out that during much of her time there, men doing the same job as her were paid more than her. She file a discrimination suit against Goodyear, under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963.

She won her suit, but Goodyear appealed, and the U.S. Court of Appeals of the 11th Circuit sided with Goodyear, saying that, since she hadn’t sued within 180 days of receiving her first paycheck, the statue of limitations had run out!

Of course, she didn’t know THEN that she was being screwed over by Goodyear for being a woman. She described in an interview how she found out:

“The only way that I really knew was that someone left an anonymous note in my mailbox showing my pay and the pay for the three males who were doing the same job, just on different shifts. Until then, I had no proof.”

Discrimination has real world, long term effects:

“In my case, the money I should have been compensated hurt me, because my retirement was based on what I earned. So that was much lower. I’m like a second-class citizen for the rest of my life. I will never be compensated for my lower wages and my pension, and Social Security wages are much lower, because Goodyear paid me less.”

She appealed and the case was heard by the Supreme Court, who upheld the Appeals Court. Judge Ruth Ginsberg dissented (good for her!).

She has since retired, and is now 70 years old.

The Lily Ledbetter Fair pay Act allows those who are discriminated against in the workplace to file suit the discrimination is discovered, not when it happens.

Tha bill that had been stalled in Congress for an insultingly long time. The Republicans called it anti-business and tried to kill it. Bush threatened to veto it if it ever made it onto his desk.