(Please click play and listen to this music video as you read the rest of this entry.)
Here is part of what Mrs Ledbetter had to say at the reception held for her after the bill was signed into law:
Goodyear will never have to pay me what it cheated me out of. In fact, I will never see a cent from my case. But with the passage and President's signature today, I have an even richer reward. (Applause.) I know that my daughter and granddaughters, and your daughters and your granddaughters, will have a better deal. That's what makes this fight worth fighting. That's what made this fight one we had to win. And now with this win we will make a big difference in the real world.
And here is an excerpt of Obama's signing statement:
So signing this bill today is to send a clear message: that making our economy work means making sure it works for everybody; that there are no second-class citizens in our workplaces; and that it's not just unfair and illegal, it's bad for business to pay somebody less because of their gender or their age or their race or their ethnicity, religion or disability; and that justice isn't about some abstract legal theory, or footnote in a casebook. It's about how our laws affect the daily lives and the daily realities of people: their ability to make a living and care for their families and achieve their goals.
Ultimately, equal pay isn't just an economic issue for millions of Americans and their families, it's a question of who we are -- and whether we're truly living up to our fundamental ideals; whether we'll do our part, as generations before us, to ensure those words put on paper some 200 years ago really mean something -- to breathe new life into them with a more enlightened understanding that is appropriate for our time.
Full coverage, video and bill available at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog_post/AWonderfulDay/
A wonderful day! Boston native Donna Summer sings her song with less of an imploring tone, and with rather more of a demanding command. FYI, "She Works Hard for the Money" came out in 1981, so it's only 28 years for this bill to come about and get signed. Eieiei, three decades! Better late than never, I say.
Some anonymous person left a comment on the original post calling Mrs Ledbetter immature for not knowing that her salary was different than other people in the company. That is ridiculous and stupid. Then said, "We already have fair pay laws on the books." Clearly, if those laws were adequate, WE WOULDN'T NEED A NEW LAW. The problem was that you only had 180 days from the issuance of pay to file a complaint. That was inadequate.
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