Fair Pay Legislation

The Inspiration

Lily Ledbetter worked side by side with her male counterparts at Goodyear and received just as good if not better performance reviews as them.  Yet she made 40% less than them every year.  Lily complained about this treatment in Court, but lost her case on May 29, 2007. The US Supreme Court ruled that she had no claim against her employer as she was required to file a claim against Goodyear at the time her pay was adjusted even though she had no idea that her male counterparts were receiving more money than she was every year for the same or lesser work. 

By ruling in the employer’s favor, the Court upheld that current law required claims such as Ledbetter’s to be filed within 180 days of an employer’s discriminatory payroll actions.  The ruling of the Court barred claims based on cumulative acts of discrimination, and prohibited a fair remedy to years of discrimination in pay. Ledbetter’s pay discrepancy had a negative impact on her take-home pay, eligible Social Security benefits, and available employee retirement plan savings.

Only an Act of Congress could change the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision. 

The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

The proposed Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was designed to restore the ability to challenge pay discrimination in the workplace when employees first discover it.  It had been approved by the U.S. House of Representatives, but the legislation had stalled in the U.S. Senate.

Minnesota Chapters in Action

On February 19, 2008, the Central Minneapolis, Rochester, St. Paul and Twin Cities East Chapters came together to co-host an event called “Mothers’ Voices: Constituent Concerns about Fair Pay in Context of Motherhood.”  They hosted a round-table discussion with Vicki Tigwell, State Director for Senator Norm Coleman, NM (Rep.) and Kali Cruz, Director of Constituent Services for Senator Amy Klobuchar, MN (Dem.). 

At this event, mothers had the opportunity to voice their concerns with their elected official’s representatives.  They shared their experiences with pay discrimination and workplace bias as well as their experiences with stereotypes toward mothers.  One mom’s story inspired another mom to share her story which, in turn inspired another mom to share her story, and so on.

Mothers & More Tools

The following resources for individuals to get involved with the effort to support the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act were:

• Congressional contact and bill information
• Phone script for calling Senators
• Sample letter to send to Senators
• Information about attending scheduled meetings at local Senate Offices

The Result

The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was signed into law on January 29, 2009.