Help Support Fair Pay for People with Disabilities
The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Ledbetter v.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber
Co. makes it virtually impossible for many employees who experience pay discrimination
to sue their employers. The Senate has before it a bill, the Fair Pay Restoration
Act, that would correct this problem for victims of pay discrimination based
on disability, age, gender and race.
Senators need to hear now from advocates and people with disabilities about
the need to enact this legislation. Markup of the bill, S. 1843, may be as
soon as next week. Letters from constituents are critical.
What the Supreme Court Did
In the Ledbetter case, the Supreme Court held that a woman who had been paid
less than male colleagues for the same work could not challenge this pay discrimination
because she had filed her claims too late. The justices said that Lilly Ledbetter
should have filed her claims within 180 days of when her employer first decided
to give her lower pay, but that occurred years before she found out that her
pay was less than her male counterparts’. Although Ms. Ledbetter continued
to receive lower paychecks than her male colleagues for years, she could not
challenge that discrimination because the Supreme Court held in a 5-4 decision
that her claims were barred by the statute of limitations. You can read Lilly
Ledbetter's testimony at a congressional hearing here.
What You Can Do
Write to your Senators today to urge them to support S.1843, the Fair Pay
Restoration Act, which would restore effective remedies to victims of pay
discrimination.
If you find our Alerts and Policy Reporters useful, please consider making
a contribution in support of the Bazelon Center's advocacy for people with
disabilities. You can donate safely online!
Fair Use Policy
Please feel free to forward our alerts as long as you credit the Bazelon Center with a link to our website: http://www.bazelon.org
Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
1101 15th Street, NW, Suite
1212
Washington, DC 20005
