DeLauro, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Clarify Congressional Intent on Federal Employment Discrimination Law

Press Release

DeLauro, Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Clarify Congressional Intent on Federal Employment Discrimination Law

Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.-3) joined with a number of her colleagues including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD-5), Majority Whip James Clyburn (SC-6), House Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (CA-7), and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), to announce the introduction of legislation to remedy the Supreme Court's decision in the case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. The legislation will clarify Congress's intent with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by making clear workers' rights under federal employment discrimination law and clearly state that Title VII's statute of limitations runs from the date a discriminatory wage is actually paid - each paycheck - rather than some earliest possible date.

"This legislation will ensure women who face the discrimination that Lily Ledbetter faced, will have the right to fight against it," said DeLauro. "When the Supreme Court issued their narrow-minded 5 to 4 ruling, they ignored reality. They ignored the challenges associated with documenting a discriminatory difference in pay within a mere six months, despite the typical office secrecy over income.

"In her dissent from the ruling, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg said the ball is in Congress's court to correct this. That is why we will be introducing legislation, clearly stating that Title VII's statute of limitations runs from the date a discriminatory wage is actually paid - not simply some earliest possible date which has come and gone, long ago. The Supreme Court decision ignored reality."

Lilly Ledbetter worked for nearly 20 years at a Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company facility in Alabama . She sued the company after learning that she was the lowest-paid supervisor out of a group of 16 supervisors at the facility, despite having more experience than several of her male counterparts. A jury found that her employer had unlawfully discriminated against her on the basis of sex. In a sharply divided 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled against Ledbetter.

DeLauro also called on Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, "But when women are still only earning about 77 percent of what men earn, there is still more to be done to ensure equal pay. The Paycheck Fairness Act gives women the tools to confront discrimination in the workplace and give teeth to the Equal Pay Act. Short-changing women of their due, short-changes their entire families, limits their opportunity, and undermines their work.

"Ensuring pay equity can help families gain the resources they need to give their children a better future - the great promise of our American dream. Let us make good on that promise, pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and fix this decision."

The Paycheck Fairness Act would help women confront discrimination in the workplace and give teeth to the Equal Pay Act by prohibiting employers from retaliating against employees who share salary information with their co-workers; allowing women to sue for punitive damages and the recovery of back-pay which they currently can under Title VII, but NOT under EPA; and create a new grant program to help strengthen the negotiation skills of girls and women.

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