Equal Work, Unequal Pay
A Q&A with Lilly Ledbetter, at 70 a powerful symbol in the fight against pay discrimination
On the opposing side are groups such as the National Association of Manufacturers and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. What is your thought about the interests, all the way up to President Bush, lining up against you?
I understand where they're coming from, except President Bush.
You just turned 70, and in retirement you're the symbol of the fight for equal pay. What's that like?
I had no idea that equal pay was so far behind. I thought this was a southern problem, and I've learned that it's national. But what has inspired me so much is all of the correspondence and contacts and speak-out articles that the men have provided in support of this. Because today, they have [working] wives, they have [working] granddaughters, they have [working] daughters.
How many letters do you think you've received in support?
Boxes. I have not answered them all, either. I need a secretary.
Do you get hate mail, crank calls?
No, no. Absolutely not. I've had nothing but good.
What's your relationship like with former colleagues?
They're really nice. I ran into one of the human-resources employees at a fast-food place the other day, and he's now teaching at the college in town, and he said, "Hey, Lilly, we talk about you all the time in my classes." And he said, "I would like you to come speak to the class, if you're not too expensive." And I said, "Well, just my gas money, and I actually could walk."
In your earlier years, was Lilly Ledbetter a fighter?
Yes, always a fighter.
Where do you get that spirit?
I'm going to tell my deep, dark secret here. I grew up in the country, and my mother, even though I was an only child, she felt like I needed to learn the ethics of work, and so in the summers and the fall, I had to work in my grandfather's cotton patches. I was in my teens, like 12, 14, along in there. It was hard. Hard and hot. In my day, there were no fast-food places to go work. If there were, there wasn't a vehicle to take to go there. It was very hard work. And I knew then, and I made a determination, that I never, never wanted to work in the fields for a living.
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the real question
Instead of bickering with each other or calling Mrs. Ledbetter a whiner, shouldn't the real question be , "how was Goodyear able to require a donation to United Way?" and wasn't there postings of the job description every time it was open?
Replying to HR Management
If you're really so knowledgeable of HR Management then you would be aware that the growing trend and expectation is that pay is a public issue and can be discussed. Sometimes payrates are even posted. The most fundamental principle that I learned in HR Management was if there is a do not discuss policy then the company is trying to conceal something. If payrates are fair and justified, not necessarily equal, then there is no reason for a closed mouth policy! I currently am employed by a retailer and make $10000 less a year than a less qualified female. There is no justification at all for the pay difference and I am not supposed to know. She is even disgusted that our pay is so different. Without proper legislation employers can continue to take advantage of people and it isn't just at all. Every aspect of our society needs an overhaul why not start with this. Thank you for fighting for your rights Lilly
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