[Update: PROOF!] Something to Acknowledge about the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

UPDATE: In Patty Murray’s wonderful statement below the fold on the law, she links directly to the Thomas.loc list of sponsors. There were 54 senate co-sponsors! More than the number 51 we’d heard. And, even among the 54 co-sponsors, most of who necessarily were men since there are only 18 women in the U.S. Senate, Barack Obama is NOT one of them. [OF NOTE: This will not likely be a topic tonight, but I wanted ALL of YOU to be aware of this! And it makes it all the more irritating that President Obama and Michelle Obama got to speak at the signing ceremony but that the bill’s founder Sen. Barbara Milkulski (see her statement at the end of the original post), was not included.

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Original: We are so proud tonight to present, through our marvelous host Paula Abeles, Lilly Ledbetter at 9:00 to 10:00 p.m. ET on NoQuarter Radio’s channel on BlogTalkRadio — the same Lilly Ledbetter who made possible the law named after her, the “Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.” Even though every show that Paulie produces is a marvelously fascinating hour, that flies by because it is so interesting and engrossing, this hour will have special historic significance:

JUST THINK! We will be able to tell our daughters, our granddaughters, our great-granddaughters, and all young women we meet the rest of our lives, that we heard — and got to call in at (347) 677-0792 and ask a question of Paulie and Lilly, the woman who changed history for all working women.

It is critical to acknowledge, though, the women of Congress who stood beside Lilly Ledbetter every step of the way and who did much to ensure that her cause was FOUGHT for. Those women included Senators Hillary Clinton, Patty Murray, Barbara Milkulski, Maria Cantwell, Olympia Snow, and many others. Yet, in the photograph most often displayed, it is Barack Obama who gets the focal point:

Ironically, of the 51 U.S. Senators who co-signed the legislation, Sen. Obama was one of the few Democrats who did not co-sign, even though he touted the legislation during his campaign speeches..

This is not said to demean him, but to point out the reality. He used his pen that day, and he often used Lilly’s story in his campaign speeches, but those who fought for Lilly in the halls of Congress were the women and some men whose names are not famously associated with this great legislation.

In honor of the many women in Congress who supported this historic legislation, I am reprinting the statement of one of my senators, Patty Murray, who TRULY WORKED ON THIS LEGISLATION! GO PATTY!

Murray Statement on President Obama’s Signing of the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

Law restores workers’ rights to challenge pay discrimination

For Immediate Release:

Thursday, January 29, 2009

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray released the following statement about the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first bill passed by Congress this year, and the first signed into law by President Obama. 

Senator Murray has been a strong voice in favor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restores a worker’s ability to fight for her rights.  The law reverses the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Ledbetter v. Goodyear, and clarifies that each time an employee is paid less than her co-workers for doing the same job, that unfair paycheck is a violation of the law that can be challenged in court.

Senator Murray joined Lilly Ledbetter at the White House to watch President Obama sign the bill.

“This is a great day for women – and for all workers.  Despite years of progress, we haven’t eliminated unfairness in the workplace.  But with the signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, we are taking a huge step toward guaranteeing workers can get a fair chance to fight for their rights.

“Ensuring workers get equal pay for the same work isn’t just about equal rights – it’s about doing the right thing for our families.  Pay discrimination makes it that much harder every day for families across the country to meet their expenses.  So this law is a step toward ensuring they can pay for health care, for housing, and to put food on the table.

“In November, millions of people made their voices heard when they went to the polls and said they wanted to see change in this country.  The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was a great way to begin.”