Ledbetter Fair Pay Act
- Lilly Ledbetter received an anonymous tip late in her career with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. that she had been consistently paid much less than her male coworkers.
- She sued under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which protects workers against pay discrimination.
- She proved her case. A federal jury awarded her back pay and punitive damages, but Goodyear appealed.
- The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled against her 5-4 in Ledbetter v. Goodyear.
- The Court's ruling, written by right-wing Justice Samuel Alito, said that Lilly should have filed a complaint within 180 days of the time her supervisors gave her discriminatory evaluations that resulted in her being paid less than her male coworkers.
- The Court rejected a longstanding interpretation of the law that gave workers 180 days to file a complaint after receiving any discriminatory paycheck, regardless of when the discrimination began.
- The ruling is unjust and impractical. Employees usually don’t know how much their coworkers make, and discrimination may only become apparent over time.
- The ruling makes it easier for companies to get away with discrimination. Thousands of workers who face discrimination based on sex, race, religion or nationality may have no legal recourse.
- Since President Bush’s nominees, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, were confirmed, the Court has lurched to the far right, ruling for powerful government and business interests, and against the rights and liberties of individual Americans.
There were early signs of trouble
Why Lilly went all the way to the Supreme Court
What Lilly thinks of Justice Samuel Alito
What kind of judge Lilly thinks should be on the Supreme Court
