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Lilly Ledbetter Speaks at Democratic National Convention

Lilly Ledbetter addressed the Democratic National Convention Tuesday and spoke of the wage discrimination she experienced while an employee at Goodyear Tire Rubber Co. Ledbetter’s legal suit against Goodyear went to the Supreme Court (see PDF), where, in Ledbetter’s words, “in a 5-to-4 decision our highest court sided with big business. They said I should have filed my complaint within six months of Goodyear’s first decision to pay me less, even though I didn’t know that’s what they were doing.”

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007 would correct the US Supreme Court decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire Rubber Co., Inc. This bill passed the House, but was filibustered by Republicans in the Senate in April of this year.

Ledbetter concluded her remarks at the DNC by saying “my case is over. I will never receive the pay I deserve. But there will be a far richer reward if we secure fair pay for our children and grandchildren, so that no one will ever again experience the discrimination that I did. Equal pay for equal work is a fundamental American principle. We need leaders in this country who will fight for it. With all of us working together, we can have the change we need and the opportunity we all deserve.”

Sources:

Feminist Daily Newswire 7/11/08; Ledbetter Speech Transcript.

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