The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

In 2007, the Supreme Court of the United States held that the statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay or pay discrimination lawsuit begins at the date the salary or hourly rate was agreed upon, not at the date of the most recent paycheck.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court’s decision meant that an individual had to figure out she was being paid less for the same job as her male counterparts in the first six months of employment. Most people would not be able to figure this out without wandering around and asking every co-worker “How much do you make?” Oddly enough, many people would find this rude from a person that has been working for less than six months at the company or just in general.

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is designed to counteract what many view as a misguided or wrong decision by the Supreme Court. It states that the 180-day statute of limitations for pay discrimination is reset every time an individual receives a discriminatory or unequal paycheck.

While not the first bill signed by President Obama, it was the first bill that garnered any attention. The bill was signed into law on January 29, 2009.

The bill that was signed into law so recently was not the first Congressional attempt at amending the statutory limitations period and overrule by legislative act the Ledbetter decision. The bill failed to pass the 110th Congress but the 111th Congress, formed in January of this year, persevered and passed the bill.

The failed legislative attempt was one of many fronts on which Democrats criticized Republicans heading into the November elections.

Contact an Austin Wage Discrimination Lawyer

If you have been the victim of wage discrimination, contact the Austin wage discrimination lawyers of The Melton Law Firm at (512) 330-0017.