Woot, woot! Obama's first bill, I have to say, is an impressive step forward for Women's rights. Maybe he really is Super Feminist, after all. According to the news (kudos to CNN for getting a good jump on it, The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act was signed into Law today.
Ledbetter was an employee of Goodyear tires who sued the company for gender discrimination in 1998. She found that, for years, she had been making significantly less than her male co-workers for doing the same work. Her legal victory was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2008.; as a result, it became much more difficult to sue for pay discrimination. The Court decided that such suits needed to be filed within 180 days of the first unfair paycheck (whether you find out 20 years later...).
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act mandates that you have 180 days to file the suit after the most recent paycheck.
Personally, I still think that's bull. What if you find out after you have left the company? Or retired? I don't think there should be a time limit on when you can file.
But, hey, it's a step in the right direction. At least, after her experience, women (and men, for that matter) might be paying more attention to what's written on their paycheck. Perhaps with enough issue awareness 180 days will prove to be enough. But, somehow... I doubt it.
The point is that, of all the things Obama could have done first, he did chose a pressing issue for women in the United States. I applaud him for that, even though I think he might have gone a little further. Baby steps, right?
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