Ledbetter taking message of Equal Pay for Equal Work across the world

LILLY Ledbetter is an American who found herself at the centre of a controversial case, regarding her previous employer, Goodyear Tires, and the unequal pay for which she was a recipient of.

Speaking at the US Embassy Lecture at the Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Ledbetter, at 78 years of age, gave an account of her experience while working at the company, and through the litigation process.

Taking on a managerial position at the company, Ledbetter reported that she gave all that was expected of her and then some. This was so to the extent that she was awarded a top performance award and a salary increase, but little did she know that she was receiving up to 40 per cent less in salary pay than some of her male counterparts.

This unfortunate happening resulted in Ledbetter heading to the courts to file a discriminatory suit, mainly based on the premise that her family and herself had been robbed for the nineteen years that she gave to Goodyear tire. In moving from hearing to hearing, the jury awarded Ledbetter 3.8 million dollars. However, none of it was actually in her possession, since legislations hindered her from receiving it.

To this end, Ledbetter urged that persons get familiar with the laws surrounding one’s employment, and stated that it was more important to have the support of family when addressing discriminatory cases, because friends and neighbours always look the other way.

However, all was not lost. In Ledbetter’s point of view, she became a winner by losing the case. Her case brought attention to the unfair pay practices that many businesses in the United States had been partaking in, and eventually made a great impact, as she became the namesake of Barack Obama’s first official piece of legislation signed as President of the United States.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, as it came to be known in 2009, amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The new act states that the 180-day statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit regarding pay discrimination, resets with each new paycheque affected by that discriminatory action.

All in all, while she never received a dime, she is content that the suit changed many lives.