Are You Worth Less?
Caroline Fredrickson
If you found out today that your boss decided to pay you thousands of dollars less than your coworkers because of your gender, race, color, religion, national origin, age, or disability, there may be nothing you can do about it -- thanks to the Supreme Court.
In the case of Ledbetter vs. Goodyear, your right to sue for pay discrimination was virtually taken away. This decision basically eliminates your right to take action. Thankfully some in Congress are working to fix this outrage. The Senate is set to vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act next week, and we are critically close to the 60 votes we need to pass this bill.
Tell your senators: No one should be worth less!
As Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg perfectly summed up in her dissent, "Pay disparities often occur, as they did in Ledbetter's case, in small increments; cause to suspect that discrimination is at work develops only over time."
At the ACLU, we agree, and so do many members of Congress. That’s why last year the House of Representatives passed legislation to reverse the court’s decision, and now we need your help to make sure it passes the Senate.
Take action now: Help end pay discrimination.
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Imagine if you, or your mother or brother or spouse, found out you had worked for an employer for your entire career and been discriminated against in each and every paycheck. Year after year your employer gave you smaller raises, just because you were a woman, or because of your race, the color of your skin, or your religion. You’d demand justice. Maybe this is even happening to you already, but you don’t know it yet. Lilly Ledbetter found out she was being paid less than her male colleagues when a co-worker slipped her an anonymous note. When she took her case all the way to the Supreme Court, she was denied justice. But you can help protect others in similar situations. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act would protect people from pay discrimination based on gender, race, color, religion, national origin, age, or disability. Please, contact your senators now. This is a critical moment. With your help, we need to flood the halls of Congress with voices of justice. Sincerely,
Caroline Fredrickson, Director ACLU Washington Legislative Office © ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor New York, NY 10004 |
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