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Lilly Ledbetter Case

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Pay equality has been a topic of discussion since women became a larger part of the workforce back in the 1940s. Politicians made efforts to help close that gap, with legislation being passed in 1963. Still, the gap remind wide. In 2007, Lilly Ledbetter sued Goodyear Tire & Rubber on the grounds that she had been discriminated against, leading to her being paid less because she was a women. This paper will discuss the issues that Ledbetter brought all the way to the US Supreme Court. First, this paper will discuss the history of the equality gap and what past political leaders attempted to do to help close the gap. It will talk address Ms. Ledbetter 's history with the supreme court prior to the act being passed. Finally, it will explain how and who the act effects. The Lilly Ledbetter …show more content…

Goodyear. The new amendment allows for employees to file a claim of discrimination within 180 days of each unequal payment they receive, changing the previous policy of 180 days within the first unequal payment. This created affected both employees and employers. Prior to the Ledbetter Act, employees had only 180 days to figure out if they were being discriminated against. Under the new provisions, employees have the opportunity to gather information before filing claims, instead of filing claims that had little or not merit. This act puts more pressure on employers to pay equal money for equal work, regardless of sex. During the previous rule, employees filed claims they could not support, allowing for the companies to win the decisions in court. Under the new guidelines, employees can now take their time in gathering information, building a stronger case against their employer. The benefit of this for employers would be less lawsuits filed against them, unfortunately, if they are discriminating against an employee, it means they could end up paying more in damages then

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On January 29th, 2009 President Obama signed his first bill, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Recognition to pass the bill began when Lilly Ledbetter received an anonymous letter stating the male managers and their surprisingly larger salaries. Ledbetter decided to take Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. to court, however, the judge ruled in favor of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., which then lead to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The act states that as long as workers file their charges within 180 days (or 300 days in some jurisdictions) from the time they received any discriminatory paycheck, they are able to file a claim (Committee On Education & The Workforce Democrats). Although the act is better than the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which only allowed 180 days from the first discriminatory paycheck to file a claim, there are still problems with the act.

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