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Ledbetter goes to Congress

Jeremy Hobson Jun 28, 2007
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Ledbetter goes to Congress

Jeremy Hobson Jun 28, 2007
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TEXT OF STORY

Lisa Napoli: Well, she lost her case in the Supreme Court last month. Today, the woman who sued Goodyear for workplace discrimination after years of unequal pay gets her day on the Hill. From Washington, Jeremy Hobson says Democrats have rallied to her side and they have two bills lined up to prove it.


Jeremy Hobson: When the court ruled against Lilly Ledbetter, it said she should have sued Goodyear within six months of the alleged discrimination.

That’s because waiting too long isn’t fair to employers, according to attorney Neal Mollen, who filed a brief on behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Neal Mollen: If the plaintiff waits so long to raise the charge, the documents they need disappear, the witnesses that they need disappear.

Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsburg disagreed and dissented from the court’s decision. She said Congress should act to overturn it and Democrats have responded with two bills.

One would increase the statute of limitations from six months to a year. The other would start the six-month clock at the point of the last allegedly unfair paycheck.

Democratic Congressman Jerrold Nadler chairs the subcommittee holding today’s hearing.

Jerrold Nadler: Unless you are in favor of pay discrimination there is no excuse for this. So we should certainly correct it. The House will. And the Senate will unless the Republicans decide to threaten a filibuster against it which I would be surprised if even they would do that.

I’m Jeremy Hobson for Marketplace.

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