We received this communication from the National Women's Law Center about the efforts to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. In it Lilly Ledbetter tells her story and urges other women to do the same.
A message from Lilly Ledbetter
For months now, I have been traveling the country, speaking about the importance of passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. I never dreamed I'd see a bill in Congress with my name on it — but sometimes in life the totally unexpected happens. After all, I also never imagined that I would be paid less than my co-workers — just because I'm a woman.
Ever since the story of my Supreme Court case, Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., started getting picked up in the news, I've been hearing stories from women of all ages about their own experiences with pay discrimination. For example, I met a doctor who sued her hospital when she learned that two male physicians were making more than she was — even though she had more responsibility than them. That hospital has changed how it works now.
I'm from Alabama, and I originally thought that the problems I'd encountered at work were mostly a Southern thing. Well, that couldn't have been further from the truth. The women I'm meeting are from all across the country with all types of jobs and degrees. I've met coaches, factory workers, doctors, and professors who have told me how much it means to them that I'm speaking out. And they've shown me that it doesn't matter how much education you have or how good you are at your job. Pay discrimination happens to all types of people.
My story has already been told and retold. But now, we need other women's stories to come to the surface.
Sometimes, in Washington, D.C., the policy process can seem distant from the real people it affects. We have to remind our lawmakers that this is an issue that matters to all of us.
If you've ever experienced pay discrimination, or any kind of workplace discrimination, please tell us your story. We may then follow up with you to ask if we can use your story when we're talking to lawmakers.
If you haven't been subject to discrimination yourself, we'd still like to hear your thoughts on why workplace discrimination is such a problem for women.
Thanks again for everything you've already done to help us in this struggle.