Equal Pay Legislation Introduced in House of Representatives

Legislation named the "Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007" was introduced in the House of Representatives on Friday, according to a press release from the American Civil Liberties Union. The legislation seeks to provide new insight in to laws concerning wage discrimination.

The legislation is the result of a ruling by the Supreme Court in the case of Ledbetter vs. Goodyear. In regard to the case the high court ruled that employees were unable to bring lawsuits against employers for wage discrimination that had occurred years previous to the suit. The majority of the justices opined that the plaintiff was unable to sue because she had not done so within 180 days of the first incident of the alleged discrimination.

The high courts decision caused alarm amongst rights groups and concerned citizens who claimed the ruling aided discrimination because employees are often unaware that the discrimination is occurring.

The director of the ACLU's Washington Legislative Office, Caroline Fredrickson reportedly had this to say regarding the supreme court decision: "We were deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court's decision to sharply limit workers' opportunities to address wage discrimination. How many of us know the salaries of our coworkers? It is far more likely that workers would not know they are being paid less than their colleagues for many months, if not years, after such discrimination has begun. Employers must not be let off the hook for years of discrimination simply because their employees were unaware of it.", according to the ACLU's press release.

The House of Representatives Bill seeks to rectify the concerns by addressing wage discrimination against women, racial and ethnic minorities, religious minorities, and the disabled. The legislation specifically proposes that wage disparity is a discriminatory action that is not limited to the first paycheck an employee receives, but rather applies to every paycheck in which the employee is unfairly shorted.

The new legislation allows employees more leeway to bring legal challenges against employers that they believe are discriminating against them in terms of wages.

According to the ACLU's press release Fredrickson went on to state: "This new legislation is based on the realities of the modern workplace, and we urge Congress to support it. American workers should know that they are protected from wage discrimination and are able to challenge such discrimination no matter how long it takes them to discover it."

The ACLU and other civil rights groups applauded the introduction of the new legislation as a potential safeguard against wage discrimination.

Sources:
The American Civil Liberties Union