President Barack Obama this morning signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which, according to the Associated Press, clarifies that the 180-day statute of limitations is extended every time an employer violates the law by issuing a paycheck or engages in other practices that discriminate.
Therefore, AP reports, if an employee alleges that she received a salary 20 years ago that was less than that of male co-workers because of discrimination, each new paycheck since that occurrence would be a new unlawful employment practice that resets the statute of limitations. The bill retains current limits on employer liability by restricting back pay awards to two years.
The law carries Ledbetter's name because she's been a staunch fair pay advocate ever since filing a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission when she found out she was earning less than male coworkers. A Supreme Court ruling in 2007 threw out Ledbetter's complaint, saying she was required to bring suit within 180 days of the initial act of discrimination.
Read more about the law and its implications for you here, and comment below to let us know your thoughts about the law's approval.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
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1 comment:
This is long overdue, but I'm not sure it's going to make much of a difference. As a society we need to start raising our daughters to ASK for what they want rather than politely waiting for someone to notice them.
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