Sure - I know Lilly Ledbetter - a very strong and impressive woman who's done so much for so many. We know she has a law named after her - Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which leveled the playing field for women in the workforce.
Then I did some research for this post and learned that I didn't know Lilly at all. If you get the opportunity - read her memoir, Grace and Grit: My Fight for Equal Pay and Fairness at Goodyear and Beyond.
Come and hear Lilly speak on Saturday, November 18th, for the 'Mimosas in the Morning Brunch & Bubbly' a catered event at the Kress Ballroom & Event Center on Noble Street. RSVP now by emailing calcodem2019@gmail.com or calling 256-310-0995 or 256-225-3096.
Louise Jones and Lilly Ledbetter will be our featured speakers. We will also be joined by a specialist who will speak on the highly discussed and debated subject - environment and climate change. --Beverly Williams
Lilly McDaniel Ledbetter is a worker’s-rights activist and equal-pay advocate whose nine-year quest for equal compensation from longtime employer Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Gadsden, Etowah County, resulted in the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-2), the first bill signed into law by Pres. Barack Obama. The law nullified the 2007 Supreme Court decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Inc. and clarified the time period during which employees can pursue claims under antidiscrimination laws.
Ledbetter started working at a Goodyear tire factory in 1979 and was one of few women on the factory floor.
Working toward a promotion at Goodyear, Ledbetter took several training courses and turned in the second-best performance of 150 other managers, most of whom were men.
Almost two decades later, in 1998, she learned that she had been paid significantly less than men doing the same job throughout her career.
In 1998, Ledbetter was nearing retirement when she discovered an anonymous note in her locker informing her that she was being paid significantly less than her male counterparts.
In response, Ledbetter filed a complaint with EEOC in July, claiming violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) and the Equal Pay Act.
In response, Ledbetter’s supervisor at Goodyear, Kelly Owens, retaliated by assigning her to a position inspecting tires; she was required to lift heavy truck tires even though she was more than 60 years old.
Ledbetter retired on November 1, 1998, earlier than she had planned because of the laborious work.
Ledbetter became a nationally recognized activist when she spoke at the Democratic National Convention in November 2008.
She also campaigned actively for then-Senator Obama during his presidential campaign
Lilly was the second person (after Michelle Obama) to dance with the president at the inaugural ball in January 2009
Fair pay legislation was again introduced by congressional Democrats in the 111th Congress and, named for Ledbetter, approved by both houses. (The only lawmaker in Alabama who supported passage was DemocratArtur Davis.)
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 was signed into law on January 29, 2009.
In 2011, Ledbetter was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
In 2012, she published her memoir,
In 2012, spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Ledbetter continues to live in Jacksonville and travel for occasional speaking engagements, where she lectures on workers’ rights and fair-pay laws and legislation.
We're inspired by Lilly Ledbetter, an equal pay activist whose story shows what can be accomplished when you just keep fighting for what you believe…….
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who dissented, encouraged Lilly to keep fighting and she did. She became an outspoken advocate for pay equity and women's rights.
"There was nothing I wouldn't do, no matter how dirty or hard."
Her work led to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, signed into law in 2009. The law loosens time restrictions on filing discrimination cases, resetting the 180-day filing period each time discrimination occurs.
Ledbetter's commitment to and impact on pay equity are remarkable. As she said the day the Fair Pay Act passed, "There was nothing I wouldn't do, no matter how dirty or hard."
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