Equal Pay For Equal Work... In God We Trust... Lilly Ledbetter Act

Shouldn't women get equal pay for equal work?

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I have four daughters, and thus far, three granddaughters. I believe their worth as employees is just as valuable as my son's and my grandson's! I was totally elated when the President signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009!!

President Barack Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 while in the first year of his presidency. I remember watching the ritual on January 29, 2009, thinking how wonderful it was that this President had stood tall to update a civil rights policy George W. Bush had promised to veto.

Obama signing the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 is important because previously, employers could legally, and I must emphasize the word "legally", hire women for less pay than men earned as long as doing so was pre-established company policy. Establishing their position merely called for companies to set pay precedents at least 180 days prior to hiring women to fill positions that mirrored those filled by men in any given firm!

This unfair pay policy ultimately caused Lilly Ledbetter to lose the case that would have allowed her to collect monies that should have been paid to her during the 20 years she worked for Goodyear tires. Despite the fact that the court had initially awarded her 3 million dollars, that amount was first reduced to 300,000 and later taken away completely.

The reasons behind these injustices were twofold... First: Ledbetter had used a section of Title VII that is supposed to protect civil rights to plea her case. Using this policy would have deemed each paycheck she'd received a "new"opportunity to file a claim under an "accrual method". Second, Ledbetter had also used a ruling on a case from 2002 (Amtrak v. Morgan). These two types of precedents were intended to work in conjunction with one another. Unfortunately for Ledbetter's case, however, the court mostly concerned itself with the 2002 ruling. That ruling had disregarded the accrual system for filing pay complaints and called for actions regarding pay differences be filed within 180 days of their occruence. The Ledbetter case did not meet the time-frame set forth in the 2002 case.

To rectify these types of injustice barriers, the House Education and Labor Committee drafted new laws that would help women on the road to justice for pay discrimination. It was then that Republican president, George W. Bush vowed to veto any such bill. Fortunately for American women, President Barack Obama was elected shortly thereafter and made signing an updated version of the Ledbetter Bill his first signatory act.

In short, The Lilly Ledbetter Act corrects the Supreme Court's ruling by clearly defining when and how a woman (or other worker) becomes subject to pay discrimination. This makes filing and winning a claim easier once a woman discovers she has been wrongfully underpaid and takes away the ability of the courts to move from one position to another when ruling pay discrimination cases.

Moving forward... Although Lilly Ledbetter was unable to earn the compsnsation she so well-deserved from the two decades she gave her loyalty to Goodyear, she paved the way that allowed President Obama to provide better outcomes for female workers practically from the time of his initiation to this point forward. On a side note, persons with disabilities and those believing age may have played a role in disallowing them a job or preventing them from moving ahead may benefit from the Ledbetter law as well. For keeping up the good fight, although not seeking any type of reward that she did not deserve, Lilly Ledbetter will always remain an icon in the fight for women's rights!

Public Service Announcement Video

"Women have the power... If you have not voted early in the 2012 election... don't let Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, and the Republican Party take away your rights...

NONE OF THEM!!

Whether u think a particular issue effects you right now or not... You have family members, friends, and neighbors whose lives could be devastated due to changes to the Lilly Ledbetter Pay Act of 2009, the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), loss of Planned Parenthood, and many other establishments/laws formed to help women take and keep control of their lives. These issues affect how much money women make doing the same jobs as men, how well they can plan their families, and the ability to control their health care. Let's keep moving FORWARD. Men do NOT own us! If you have voted early and you cast your vote for @BarackObama, you did the BEST THING FOR WOMEN!!"

I wrote the above quote on my Facebook page while inviting women (men as well) to view this Public Service Announcement submitted to YouTube by YouDontOwnmePSA. Check out the PSA HERE. It has many important and valid points... Points that should be considered by women and men... After all, we ALL have BOTH genders in our lives in one way or another!

Also... You should check out this article at Salon.com that talks about how the Republican Party is setting the stage to take down Roe v Wade; and how they will be well positioned to do so if Mitt Romney wins the presidency. For those who do not completely understand the seriousness of getting rid of Roe v Wade, just think about what it would be like for women and especially young girls, seeking abortions from the underground. Outlawing abortions would be a TREMENDOUS setback to women's rights and to the United States of America's health related policies/laws...

The Lilly Ledbetter Act of 2009 is retroactive and thus may be applied to discretions occurring as far back as May 28, 2007.