The woman who fought for women to be paid the same as men for equal work has died. Lilly Ledbetter, namesake of the 2009 Fair Pay Act, was 86.
“Lilly Ledbetter never set out to be a trailblazer or a household name,” former President Barack Obama posted on X late Sunday. “She just wanted to be paid the same as a man for her hard work. But this grandmother from Alabama kept on fighting until the day I signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law — my first as president.”
He praised Ledbetter for “setting her sights high for herself and even higher for her children and grandchildren.”
An Alabama native, Ledbetter was the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., after suing her employer of 19 years for sex discrimination.
Her lawsuit was successful in a lower court ruling, but the judgment was reversed when Goodyear appealed the decision, prompting the case to reach the Supreme Court. The high court ruled against Ledbetter because of the statute of limitations, saying she hadn’t filed her case 180 days from when the discriminatory policy took place, even though she had received a paycheck within the 180-day timeframe.
Ledbetter worked at Goodyear from 1979 through 1998, most of the time as an area manager. She sued the company after receiving an anonymous letter that let her know Goodyear was paying her thousands of dollars less per year than men who worked similar jobs with equivalent years of experience.
In her dissenting opinion, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg pointed out that Ledbetter had been paid $3,727 per month compared with her male counterparts who made between $4,286 and $5,236.
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 so the 180-day statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit over pay discrimination resets with each paycheck.
In the first year after the act took effect, about 4,800 charges were filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging wage discrimination and 1,900 charges were filed alleging sex discrimination in pay compensation.
While Ledbetter never received a settlement from Goodyear to reconcile her lower pay, she was an equal pay activist following her Supreme Court defeat. She wrote a book about her experience in 2012 called “Grace and Grit: My Fight for Equal Pay and Fairness at Goodyear and Beyond.”
On average, women employed in the United States are paid 79 cents for every dollar paid to a white male, according to the National Partnership for Women and Families.
Tributes to Ledbetter in the aftermath of her death hailed her as a courageous trailblazer -- including from the man who signed her eponymous bill into law, former President Barack Obama.
"Lilly Ledbetter never set out to be a trailblazer or a household name. She just wanted to be paid the same as a man for her hard work," Obama said. "But this grandmother from Alabama kept on fighting until the day I signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law – my first as president. Lilly did what so many Americans before her have done: setting her sights high for herself and even higher for her children and grandchildren. Michelle and I are grateful for her advocacy and her friendship, and we send our love and prayers to her family and everyone who is continuing the fight that she began."
President Joe Biden called Ledbetter a "fearless leader and advocate for equal pay."
"Her fight began on the factory floor and reached the Supreme Court and Congress, and she never stopped fighting for all Americans to be paid what they deserve," the president said, adding: "Because of Lilly’s tireless efforts, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act—a critical step forward in the fight to close the gender and racial wage gaps—became the first bill signed in the Obama-Biden Administration. It was an honor to stand with Lilly as the bill that bears her name was made law."
"For her fight against pay discrimination and for justice for our daughters and granddaughters, Lilly Ledbetter’s name is synonymous with courage, opportunity and progress," said former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who oversaw passage of the bill in 2009. "After being denied fair pay, she sued, lost — and was ultimately vindicated by the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that appropriately bears her name. With gratitude for her extraordinary life, we send condolences to her family. May she rest in peace."