Update: Senate Action Expected Today! Take Action Now!
American Workers Deserve
Their Day in Court!
Civil Rights Bill Will Remedy Supreme Court Ruling on Workplace Discrimination
| Take Action Now: Call you senators toll-free now at 866-338-1015* and urge them to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and help provide American workers who are victims of pay discrimination their day in court! |
Today, Wednesday, April 23, 2008, the Senate will likely vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (H.R. 2831). H.R. 2831 remedies an erroneous Supreme Court ruling on workplace discrimination and reaffirms that civil rights have legally enforceable remedies. Now is the time to urge your senators to follow the lead of the House, which passed the bill last year, in passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act!
Background
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is an important legislative “fix” to a May 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision (Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.), which severely limited the ability of victims of pay discrimination to sue and recover damages under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In Ledbetter, the Court ruled (5-4) that Lilly Ledbetter could receive no recourse from her employer, even though for years she was discriminatorily paid less than her male colleagues. The Court said that Ledbetter had filed her discrimination complaint too late, and calculated the law’s 180-day deadline to sue from the day Ledbetter received her last discriminatory raise, rather than – as the law had previously made clear – from the day she received her last discriminatory paycheck.
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Civil Rights Groups Unite in Support
A broad coalition of civil and human rights groups are rallying support to address this attack on civil rights.
Click here to read an editorial memo sent on behalf of over 20 coalition groups! |
Impact
The Ledbetter decision is fundamentally unfair to victims of pay discrimination - and it ignores the realities of the workplace. Employees generally don’t know enough about what their co-workers earn, or how pay decisions are made, to file a complaint shortly after a discriminatory pay decision is made. However, without that knowledge, the Supreme Court has declared that victims of ongoing pay discrimination have no claim – regardless of how egregious the discrimination is.
Without this “fix,” the impact of the Court’s decision will be widespread, affecting pay discrimination cases under Title VII involving women and racial and ethnic minorities, as well as cases under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
| Sample Letter for Campaign |
Subject: Vote YES on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act!
Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,
I am writing to urge you to vote yes on the "Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act" (H.R. 2831).
H.R. 2831 would reverse the Supreme Court decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., correcting the Supreme Court's misinterpretation of Title VII regarding when a pay discrimination claim is timely filed.
Without this "fix," the impact of the Court's decision could be widespread, affecting pay discrimination cases under Title VII involving women and racial and ethnic minorities, as well as cases under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
As your constituent, I urge you to support the "Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act" and reaffirm that civil rights have legally enforceable remedies.
Sincerely,
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Campaign Launched:
January 23, 2008
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