Pay Equity Now!

by Kolbe Franklin, Program Assistant
National Women’s Law Center

This morning I watched as hundreds of enthusiastic supporters armed with signs and banners joined women members of the House and Senate to rally support for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  As attendees arrived at the Hill slightly before 10 am, the energy at the Senate Swamp — despite the excessive heat — was palpable. Cheers erupted from the crowd as House and Senate members including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barbara Mikulski, among many others, expressed their support for this piece of legislation. 

As we have blogged about before, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act would reverse the Supreme Court’s decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber CO., which made it nearly impossible for average employees to challenge pay discrimination under Title VII. 

As the rally commenced, one by one the Congresswomen spoke to the crowd and explained why the passage of this Act is integral to closing the wage gap and guaranteeing pay equity. Following Senator Hillary Clinton’s address, Lilly Ledbetter shared her own story and gave a face to the unfortunate reality of pay discrimination. As the rally came to a close, the Congresswomen urged the crowd to contact their Senators and demand that they support this Act and demonstrate their commitment to equality. 

Overall the rally was a huge success which reinforced the desperate need as well as the immense support for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.  As a new staff member here at the NWLC (as well as a new resident of the DC area), during today’s rally I was able to get a glimpse of the truly remarkable work of so many dedicated activists. As I was just inspired to do, encourage your Senator to sign on to the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act today!