Press Release: LENTZ COMMENDS PROGRESS DUE TO LILLY LEDBETTER FAIR PAY ACT

"The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act represents a critical step toward equality and fairness for women and all workers,” said Lentz. “Even in a robust economy, wage discrimination makes it more difficult for hard-working families to prosper and this law goes a long way toward ending wage discrimination.”

“This law is about equity for every American family and every American worker,” said Lentz. “Recently, too many workers have seen their jobs disappear and their wages slashed. There is no reason the United States should not lead the world in clean energy innovation, there is no reason the United States should not have the most advance high-speed rail system in the world, and there is no reason we cannot achieve those goals while paying all workers fairly for their labor.

“While this law was an important step forward, it’s just the beginning,” said Lentz. “In the third quarter of 2009, women were still earning only 81 percent as much as men. In the fourth quarter of last year, women made an average of $670 per week while the men’s average was $825. That is unacceptable in America and we must continue to work for real equality.”

After 20 years as an employee of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Lilly Ledbetter sued the company when she learned that she was paid less than her male counterparts at the facility. A jury found that her employer had unlawfully discriminated against her on the basis of sex. However, in 2007, the Supreme Court reversed Ledbetter’s case, saying she had waited too long to sue for pay discrimination.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act reversed a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that made it more difficult for Americans to pursue claims of wage discrimination. The Act clarified that every paycheck or other compensation resulting from an earlier discriminatory pay decision constitutes a violation of the Civil Rights Act and applies to workers who file claims of discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, or disability.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act restores employees’ rights to challenge pay discrimination. In the year since the law took effect, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reviewed over 1,100 cases where people were denied wage compensation, and some 4,800 charges alleging wage discrimination were filed with the Commission.