Justice, Sort Of, For Lilly Ledbetter

President Obama signed his very first bill into law this morning, with an event celebrating the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Ledbetter was a worker at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company for many years, but did not realize until she was near retirement that she was being paid less than her male co-workers for doing the same job. She sued, and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court, but she lost. The Supreme Court determined that under current law, pay discrimination claims had to be filed within 180 days of when the discrimination happened. Because most workers don't know what their co-workers make, and because pay discrimination largely occurs in small increments over time, the current law nearly invalidated most cases. Because Lilly Ledbetter stood up and refused to let the matter die, the Democrats vowed to change the law, and named it after her. Now, claims must be filed within 180 days, but the 180 day rule re-sets every time you receive a new paycheck, making the rules much more reasonable.

The Sun Times has an account of the reception following the signing of the bill, and here's what Lilly said:

"I have spent the past two years since the Supreme Court decision in my case, fighting for equal pay for this,'' Ms. Ledbetter said. "But to watch him sign a bill that bears my name, a bill that will help women and others fight pay discrimination in the workplace is truly overwhelming. Goodyear will never have to pay me what it cheated me out of. I will never see a cent from my case. But with the passage and the president's signature today, I have an even richer reward." Crowd claps.

Goodyear will never have to make good on Lilly's claim, but it might be something for you to think about the next time you buy a set of tires, maybe?

Congrats Lilly, on behalf of working women everywhere!