Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act

971 Words4 Pages
Most of us have faced in justices in our lives, but how many of us have taken a stand against those injustices? Even if some of us do stand up and fight it is usually on a small scale and only to benefit ourselves or the people that are closest to us. People generally feel as though they alone will not be enough to make a difference. However, there are others that stand up strong and refuse to sit down until there is resolution to the issue. These are the people that leave lasting marks on our world and make it a better place for the rest of us to live out our lives in a positive and meaningful manner. One of these people that felt so strongly for a cause is a woman by the name of Lilly Ledbetter and because she was strong enough to take a stand and never back down there is now a bill written in the books bearing her name, “The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.” Lilly Ledbetter lived her life as many Americans do. She was a proud mother of two and a loving wife. She worked tirelessly at a local Goodyear Tire and Rubber factory for 19 years on an overnight shift from 7p.m. to 7a.m. where she was constantly faced with sexual discrimination and harassment. It was because of this harassment that led Mrs. Ledbetter to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) eventually leading her to testify in front of Congress. Mrs. Ledbetter had been propositioned to perform sexual favors by a supervisor in return for good job performance reviews. After Mrs. Ledbetter filed a formal charge with the EEOC against Goodyear in July of 1998 she faced many more problems pushed onto her from her employer. At the time of the complaint Mrs. Ledbetter was in her 60’s and was reassigned to lift heavy tires. It was during this time that Mrs. Ledbetter became aware of another discrimination that had been plaguing her during her whole career with Goodyear unbeknownst
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