(& Open Thread) Lilly Ledbetter Is Paulie Abeles’ Special Guest on Her NoQuarter Radio Show Monday Night!
By SusanUnPC on February 15, 2009 at 11:55 PM in Congress (House & Senate), Equal Pay, Feminism, NQR Live Chat, No Quarter Blog, NoQuarter Radio, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Sexism
(bumped up from February 12 — you will NOT want to miss this very special show with the woman for whom the historic bill was named — the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act!)
Yes! This Lilly Ledbetter in the historic photograph below! This Lilly will be Paulie Abeles’ special guest on Paulie’s regular Monday night radio show! [Paulie's photo is to your right.] The Lilly Ledbetter whose historic fight for fair pay led to a great law being passed and signed into law in late January 2009 (recorded here at No Quarter in posts by SusanUnPC, PatRacimora (whose story, “Lilly Ledbetter Kicks Goodyear’s Tires” included one of PatRacimora’s great cartoons!), and others).
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (who, as a senator, helped steer the bill towards passage along with then-senator, now Vice President Joe Biden), Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Sen. Barbara Milkulski (D-Md.), along with Rep. Steny Hoyer and other legislators were all a big part of ensuring the bill’s passage and joined Lilly, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in celebrating the signing of the bill:
[Note: Lilly Ledbetter is the blonde woman standing to your right of Rep. Steny Hoyer.]
The intrepid Paulie Abeles tracked down Lilly Ledbetter. I have to tell you this about Paulie and the guests she manages to contact: I don’t know how Paulie does it, and really think that she should be a P.I. in her next life (!). Paulie invited Lilly to be her special guest on her regular Monday night No Quarter Radio program, “Sins of Omission,” this coming Monday night from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. And Lilly — of course! — accepted! So note your calendars! This will be “must-hear” radio!
Below is Paulie’s press release and the press release from Senator Mikulski’s office on the historic legislation’s passage:
FROM PAULIE:
In 1998, someone slipped a note in Lilly Ledbetter’s mailbox at the Goodyear Tire Plant in Gadsden, Alabama. It confirmed what Ledbetter had suspected–that she was being paid significantly less than male co-workers doing the same job.
The case became Ledbetter v. Goodyear–and, when, in a controversial 5 to 4 decision the Supreme Court overturned the lower court’s ruling for Ledbetter –the sexual discrimination and wage
equity case unleashed a maelstrom of outrage and controversy.Join me, Monday night, February 16th at 9 pm (EST) on “Sins of Omission” on NoQuarter Radio (www.blogtalkradio.com/nqr) as we discuss sexism, discrimination and Ms. Ledbetter’s unlikely path towards political and social activism.
It will be a great show.
Please join me!
PauliePlease check out my Facebook page!
FROM Senator Milkuski’s Newsroom:
Bill that restores civil rights laws on pay discrimination expected to be first sent to President Obama for his signature
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) applauded Senate passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 with 61 Senators voting in favor of the bill today. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which ensures equal pay for equal work regardless of age, race, gender, religion or national origin, is expected to be the first bill sent to President Barack Obama for his signature.“We say to women today who earn only 77 cents for every dollar her male counterpart makes, it’s time for a new day. We say to women of color who make even less it’s time for a new law. And we say to all who have suffered wage discrimination it’s truly time for a change,” said Senator Mikulski, Dean of the Senate Women. “Today’s vote is a major step towards ending wage discrimination in America and guaranteeing equal pay for equal work. We also thank Senator Kennedy for his commitment to and tremendous leadership on pay equity and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.” The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was written to remedy the 2007 Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. decision in which a divided Supreme Court held that workers must sue for pay discrimination within 180 days after the original pay-setting decision, no matter how long the unfair pay continues. Lower courts already have begun citing the ruling in decisions that erode civil rights.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said, “Anyone who puts in a fair day’s work should receive a fair day’s pay. Today’s vote is a major step toward ending pay discrimination in the workplace and a signal to all Americans that a new era of genuine change has begun for our country.”
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act amends Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, making it possible for an employee to file a wage discrimination suit based on the date of the actual discriminatory payment or the initial setting of the discriminatory wage at the time of hiring, so that the statute of limitations runs from the date of the actual payment of a discriminatory wage, not just from the time of hiring. This means employees can seek a legal remedy based on each discriminatory paycheck, not just during the first 180 days of pay discrimination.
Lilly Ledbetter said, “I am deeply heartened by the Senate passage of the bill that bears my name. It is an enormous victory for the women across the country who are victims of pay discrimination.”
Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said, “At a time when our economy is in trouble and American families are hurting, putting added burdens on working women is just plain wrong. The Senate has always had a strong and proud record of supporting the rights of average Americans and that is what we’ve done here today. Lilly Ledbetter’s story and fight is about fairness – plain and simple. I applaud Lilly, Senator Mikulski and all the women and men of the Senate and across the country who stood up and joined this fight for what is right.”
Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said, “The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is the only bill that gives workers the time to consider how they have been treated and the time to work out solutions with their employers. This bipartisan bill fulfills Congress’ goal of creating incentives for employers voluntarily to correct any disparities in pay that they find. Most importantly, it ensures that employers do not benefit from continued discrimination. I support the ability of all employees to receive equal pay for equal work.”
Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said, “Discrimination takes many forms. Sometimes discrimination is brazen and in-your-face, like with Jim Crow and apartheid. And sometimes discrimination is silent and insidious. This is exactly what is happening, today, in workplaces across America. Ledbetter was a bad decision. I am glad to work together with Senators Kennedy and Mikulski to champion this effort to reverse the damage done by that decision. Women have received unequal pay for equal work for far too long, and still face significant pay discrimination – earning 78 cents for every dollar a man earns. This is simply wrong. And it is especially hurtful now when our economy is flailing and American families are struggling. I am very pleased that the Senate passed this important legislation today.”
Visit http://mikulski.senate.gov/_pdfs/Press/LedbetterSummary.pdf for more information about the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
MOST IMPORTANT: Mark your calendar for “Sins of Omission with Paula Abeles” on Monday, February 16, 2009, from 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. ET, and tune in to hear Paulie and Lilly Ledbetter!
Senate Passes Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009
by Ronald Scott
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