New Law Makes it Easier to Sue for Unequal Pay

Washington, DCThe so-called Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act has been passed in the US House of Representatives making it easier for workers who allege wage discrimination to sue their employers. Previously, workers had to file a complaint within 180 days of receiving their first unfair paycheck. It meant that workers who discovered the inequity after that had no legal recourse. The new rules will allow workers to launch legal within 180 days of their last paycheck.

The act is named after Lilly Ledbetter, a woman who discovered after years of working in a Goodyear Tire plant that she was earning substantially less than her male co-workers doing the same job. She sued, but in 2007, the Supreme Court ruled against her saying that she had not filed her complaint within 180 days of receiving her first unfair paycheck.

The Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi said the 250-177 vote by the house was "a bold step", and that the new law "injects fairness, reason and common sense back into policy."

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act now goes to President Obama. He has promised to sign it and it is expected to be the first piece of legislation the new President will put into effect.