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Equal pay for equal work
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Published: February 1, 2009
Millions of American women find themselves on better footing in the workplace today.
Lilly Ledbetter's quest to ensure that women earn the same pay for the same work as their male counterparts ended Thursday with the signing of a bill that bears her name and a reception in the White House.
In signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which amends the 1964 Civil Rights Act, President Barack Obama hailed the legislation as a victory for all Americans.
"Making our economy work means making sure it works for everyone, that there are no second-class citizens in our workplaces, and that it's not just unfair and illegal — but bad for business — to pay someone less because of their gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion or disability."
Ledbetter sued her employer, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., after learning that she earned more than $200,000 less than male co-workers over the course of her 19-year career. Her claim was ultimately rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled her window to seek civil damages had closed.
Obama adopted her cause on the campaign trail and, with a stroke of the pen Thursday, made it the first piece of legislation to bear his name.
Those who claim this law was unnecessary haven't seen the U.S. Census data indicating that women make less than 80 cents for every dollar that men earn.
Businesses who continue this discriminatory practice will now be forced to answer for it in a court of law.
And the women — and men — who benefit from this law will have a scrappy grandmother from Alabama to thank.
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