Equal pay for equal work
Issue date: 1/30/09 Section: Opinion
In a time when the economy has gone to hell, so to speak, there are still strides being made to get this country headed in a favorable direction. Even if it doesn't directly affect the drowning nation, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Bill signed Thursday by President Obama gives hope and justice to those who have been victims of unequal pay by corporations where they were employed.
Women will especially benefit from this act, as they have been, and still are, targets of wage discrimination.
Years prior to Thursday's historic time, Lilly Ledbetter, a former employee of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, was paid less than her male counterparts for almost two decades for the same work and took this issue to court and was awarded nearly $4 million, but the Supreme Court reversed the decision in 2007 after Goodyear appealed.
The reason behind the courts' choice to turnover the previous decision?
According to them, Ledbetter didn't report the discrimination fast enough. Specifically, she should have taken Goodyear to court within six months of the discrimination, and since that didn't happen, it was OK for them to cheat her out of well-deserved money with no more questions asked.
The passing of this bill is part of the "change" that citizens of this country are hoping for. Some would argue, though, that this bill has nothing to do with our sketchy economy. It does, however, because in order for any infrastructure to bounce back and begin moving in a different direction, things have to change from the ground up. Forcing the notion of equality upon those who continue to abuse people and their rights will put everyone on a similar playing field.
Perhaps if those high up in the money chain have to be fair when it comes to money dealings, there won't be another need for a billion dollar stimulus package, and it will be expected of employers to be, dare we say, honorable.
"This is truly a monumental achievement for women - and all workers. The Supreme Court stripped workers of their ability to fight wage discrimination but now a new President and Congress have stepped in and restored their basic legal rights," said Marcia D. Greenberger, Co-President of the National Women's Law Center.
Of course this bill doesn't mean that all unfairly paid workers will step up and say something in huge corporations where the indirect threat of being fired remains. Just knowing that something can be done about wage discrimination, though, is a good move forward.
Women will especially benefit from this act, as they have been, and still are, targets of wage discrimination.
Years prior to Thursday's historic time, Lilly Ledbetter, a former employee of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, was paid less than her male counterparts for almost two decades for the same work and took this issue to court and was awarded nearly $4 million, but the Supreme Court reversed the decision in 2007 after Goodyear appealed.
The reason behind the courts' choice to turnover the previous decision?
According to them, Ledbetter didn't report the discrimination fast enough. Specifically, she should have taken Goodyear to court within six months of the discrimination, and since that didn't happen, it was OK for them to cheat her out of well-deserved money with no more questions asked.
The passing of this bill is part of the "change" that citizens of this country are hoping for. Some would argue, though, that this bill has nothing to do with our sketchy economy. It does, however, because in order for any infrastructure to bounce back and begin moving in a different direction, things have to change from the ground up. Forcing the notion of equality upon those who continue to abuse people and their rights will put everyone on a similar playing field.
Perhaps if those high up in the money chain have to be fair when it comes to money dealings, there won't be another need for a billion dollar stimulus package, and it will be expected of employers to be, dare we say, honorable.
"This is truly a monumental achievement for women - and all workers. The Supreme Court stripped workers of their ability to fight wage discrimination but now a new President and Congress have stepped in and restored their basic legal rights," said Marcia D. Greenberger, Co-President of the National Women's Law Center.
Of course this bill doesn't mean that all unfairly paid workers will step up and say something in huge corporations where the indirect threat of being fired remains. Just knowing that something can be done about wage discrimination, though, is a good move forward.
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