(Washington, DC) - (Washington, DC) – Rep. Gary L. Ackerman (D-Queens/L.I.) today acted to ensure that all workers have a fair opportunity to challenge discriminatory pay practices by their employers.  As a cosponsor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007, H.R. 2831, Ackerman has joined the effort in Congress to reverse the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Ledbetter v. Goodyear , a decision that dramatically reduced the time in which a worker can allege discriminatory pay.

In the 5 to 4 Ledbetter decision, the Court overturned the decades-old Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) interpretation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that allowed employees 180 days following each discriminatory paycheck (or act of discrimination) to file suit.  Under this ruling, the Court placed the burden on the employee to file suit within 180 days of the first act of discrimination, no matter the circumstances, even if the employee was unaware of the discrimination and only discovered it years later. 

The new legislation would strengthen the Civil Rights Act, which bans any employment discrimination by an employer based on race, sex, color, religion or national origin.  “The Ledbetter decision ignored congressional intent and the workplace realities of pay discrimination,” commented Ackerman.  “Years of discriminatory practices by employers should not be immunized by a six-month statute of limitations.  It is now up to Congress to restore employee rights to nondiscriminatory pay.”

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