Obama’s New Bill for Equal Compensation

Obama’s first legislative action as the President of the United States (with Michelle’s endorsement) bears the name of a 70-year-old Alabama woman, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. It is a landmark moment since the new law renders the principal of equal compensation for men and women even stronger.

Obama (and Michelle) both told Lilly Ledbetter’s story multiple times throughout the campaign. Lilly started working at a Goodyear Goodyear factory in 1979 and she was among the few women to be entrusted with a supervisory position. Fast-forward 20 years. In 1998, someone told her that during those years, men doing the same job as her were better compensated than her. A jury deemed her employer guilty of discrimination. But the Supreme Court (during the Bush administration) rejected her compensation request claiming that she should have filed a grievance within 180 days from the first time Goodyear paid her less money than her male coworkers.

The Fair Pay Act is virtually amending exactly this loophole. It is a law that has been pushed by the Democrats since 2007 but experienced great resistance from the Republican–controlled Congress. It allows the plaintiff to file suit within 180 days since the most recent time she was paid less than her male colleagues. Lilly, of course, will not be awarded even a cent from the estimated $200,000 that her former employer owes her, since her case cannot be tried anymore. But she was glowing standing by Obama.

“Today, with the President’s endorsement, my compensation is even greater,” she said.

“This 70-year old woman from Alabama persisted on her fight with the new generation in mind”, Obama said. “I sign the Fair Pay Act for my daughters and for all those who will come after us, because I want them to grow up in a nation that appreciates their contributions.”

Obama gave the pen he used to ink the bill to Ledbetter as a gift: “This is for Lilly”. A while later, the First Lady threw a reception in her honor saying that Ledbetter “is one of my favorite people in the world.”

“Lilly knew how to recognize injustice and she was willing to fight to fix it – it is that simple,” Michelle Obama said. According to The Washington Post, Obama’s first bill bears Michelle’s endorsement and underscores her desire to make the working woman’s anxieties and their families a high priority.