Fair-Wage Bill Clears The Senate

Finally! The Lilly Ledbetter Act was passed by the Senate on Jan. 22 and is on its way back to the House for a final vote. The legislation was prompted after the Conservative U.S. Supreme Court last year upheld wage discrimination against women in the Lilly Ledbetter case against Goodyear Tire and Rubber. The conservative court ruling imposed a 180-day statute of limitations. This same bill narrowly failed last year, so it is a huge victory to see the Senate pass it this week. Four Republican women voted for the bill. This legislation will make it easier for women to sue their employer for pay inequity regardless of when the inequity occurrs. The importance of clarifying the timing of filing suit was exemplified by Ledbetter's case in which she learned about the pay inequity years after the fact, yet the S. Court would not allow her to be compensated. When I consider my career, I can say without equivocation that I rarely knew what others in my various units were earning, and in several cases only learned years later about pay inequity to which I was subject--both as a woman and as a person of color. In a country where women still earn only 72 cents to the man's dollar, this was a great week for women.

Finally! Some justice in America! This same bill narrowly failed last year, so it is a huge victory to see the Senate pass it this week. Four Republican women voted for the bill. When I consider my career, I can say without equivocation that I rarely knew what others in my various units were earning, and in several cases only learned years later about pay inequity to which I was subject--both as a woman and as a person of color. In a country where women still earn only 72 cents to the man's dollar, this is a great week for women and that it will be the first legislation signed by President Obama is icing on the cake.