John McCain Stomps on Lily Ledbetter: Don't Let Him!

Today, John McCain said that voting for a Senate bill that makes it easier to sue for pay equity in the face of gender discrimination "opens us up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems. This is government playing a much, much greater role in the business of a private enterprise system." Translation: I'm on the side of business. And, no support for pay equity and if you experience gender discrimination but don't do anything about it within 180 days? You lose, sucker.

Instead, according to McCain, women facing poverty need "education and training." Huh? Maybe if you don't have a job, that's what you need. But any woman who already has a job and has the motherwit to realize that you're being paid less than a male co-worker for the same work is not less educated or in need of training. Instead, what you need are reasonable guidelines to seek redress against the companies that discriminated against you.

That was exactly what Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg suggested in her dissenting opinion to the Supreme Court case that tested these principles, and Congress responded with the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007 in the House and the Fair Pay Restoration Act of 2007 in the Senate--the bill that John McCain skipped voting on today.

This is Lily Ledbetter, who worked at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Plant in Gadsden, Alabama. She started off being paid the same as her male co-workers. Then, after 19 years, she discovered that she made $6,500 less than male workers who did the same job she did.

At issue was the length of time she had to sue for damages under existing Civil Rights Act legislation: 180 days after the decision is made to pay a person less than what co-workers doing comparable work receive, or 6 months after receiving the first discriminatory check. Obviously, it can take some time before a discriminatory pay scale is discovered.

In fact, some employers forbid discussion of pay among employees and the rest of the time, simple decorum keeps most people from finding out exactly what a colleague makes.

Ms. Ledbetter's was a clear case of gender discrimination. In her own words, citing Justice Ginberg again:

In her dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the Supreme Court’s only woman, took the unusual step of reading her opinion aloud. She noted that the original jury heard testimony that a supervisor who evaluated me in 1997--an evaluation that led to denying me a pay raise - was “openly biased against women.” She wrote: “Toward the end of her career…the plant manager told Ledbetter that the “plant did not need women, that [women] didn’t help it, [and] caused problems.”

Substitute any category of work-er for “women”--seniors, Latinos, gays, disabled, Muslims, etc.--and you can see the impact that results from the court gutting this key civil rights protection.

Justice Ginsberg was writing in opposition to Justice Alito, who wrote the majority opinion on the case that found in favor of Goodyear and against Ms. Ledbetter. (Basically, Alito gave the okay to companies to keep their discriminatory pay practices secret for 181 days and then they'd be scot-free.) Alito, you recall, is a Bush appointee.

So there's a big, huge, honking illustration of why we need a new president, one who'll appoint Supreme Court Justices who actually care about justice. And a president, unlike our veto-loving, sitting (duck) one, who'll actually sign this legislation into law.

By the way, among the 14 co-sponsors of the Senate Fair Pay Restoration Act are Senators Clinton and Obama, both of whom voted in favor of their bill.

Here's where you can make your views known to your Senator before today is over. Hurry, the vote's scheduled for 6 pm EST.

Noticeably absent from the vote? Senator John McCain. Something to think about for Clinton supporters who would rather vote for McCain than vote for Obama when he is the Democratic Party nominee.

When you vote this November, you have the opportunity to tell John McCain: stand on the wrong side of pay equity? No, you lose, sucker.

ETA: It appears Republicans have stopped the Fair Pay Restoration Act dead in its tracks in the Senate. Talking Points Memo has a summary here. It was 56-42, or 4 votes short of the 60 needed to pass this bill.

I think this means we need to tell John McCain where to stuff it even more forcefully than before. Along with every Republiucan who voted against this bill.

Cynematic blogs at P i l l o w b o o k.

Photo credit: Butch Dill, Washington Post.

Comments

[PunditMom]

You beat me to the punch on this one! It is simply outrageous that McCain and others in the GOP frame this as a problem of women just not getting the training they need instead of discrimination against women.

I'm sure his teen-age daughter and his adult daughter following him on the campaign trail might not take so kindly to his views on whether women should be paid the same as men.

[cynematic]

Arrrgh, screwup on the automated posting led to belated post today! Grrr.

But yes, it's disgusting that McCain and other Republicans let this piece of legislation twist in the wind.

You can still do a post on all the Republicans who blocked it--a Hall of Shame.

I think maybe we should start looking downticket again to see who needs replacing. Because clearly some of these guys need to go. Now.

[Amy in Ohio]

All I'm saying is if you gals keep posting this stuff, I don't think you can continue to keep me 50% less bitter.

That's all I'm saying.

[Joe]

Wow-- thats just sad. Here's a scarier thought people...if McCain wins in November, he gets to handpick more justices just like Aito. All the more reason to speak up now!

[cynematic]

Amy in Ohio,
I think we've already established the fact that I'm 100% bitter! :)

McCain is a weak candidate. We need to exploit the divisions in the Republican party over him.

Obama needs to get in his one-two punches on War. Economy. And keep at it.

[michelle]

Check out this brilliant send up of McCain's moronic sexism over at Comedy Central

http://blog.indecision2008.com/2008/04/25/john-mccains-guide-to-training-women-in-the-workplace/

[Amy in Ohio]

AMEN cynematic - keep 'em coming. I usually take what you post and filter it to every redblooded American who is still accepting my e-mails (the election is wearing some of my relationships thin - can you even imagine!).

McCain must be STOPPED! Him and his recipe-stealing wife must be defeated.