Hoffa Hails Passage of Lilly Ledbetter Act

Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today praised Congress for passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which restores a worker’s right to seek redress for illegal pay discrimination.

“The Lilly Ledbetter Act is an important step toward restoring fairness in the workplace and strengthening the middle class,” Hoffa said. “It takes civil rights law back to the way it was interpreted for many years.” 

Before a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2007, employees could sue within 180 days of their last paycheck showing lower wages. In Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the Supreme Court ruled that employees had to sue within 180 days of their first discriminatory paycheck.

Lilly Ledbetter, a supervisor in a Goodyear Tire & Rubber plant, discovered after 19 years that she was paid significantly less than all of her male counterparts. A jury agreed she was unfairly underpaid and awarded her $223,776 in back pay and more than $3 million in punitive damages. The Supreme Court then took away every penny of her back pay and damages.

President Bush said he would veto the bill if Congress sent it to his desk, but it died in the Senate last year.

As a presidential candidate, Obama championed the Lilly Ledbetter bill.

The bill passed the House today, 252-174, clearing its final hurdle before going to President Obama’s desk.

“It’s truly a new day in Washington when we have a president who will sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act,” Hoffa said. “President Obama said he would right this wrong, and I look forward to him signing this important bill.” 

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents more than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United States and Canada.