Lilly Ledbetter, whose gender pay equity legal fight was the inspiration for the Fair Pay Act of , has died at age Ledbetter died of respiratory failure, her family said in a statement Sunday. She was surrounded by her family and loved ones. In the s, after 19 years of working for Goodyear, Ledbetter learned she had been making thousands of dollars less each month that other β male β managers.
Ledbetter sued Goodyear in for gender discrimination. The decision was later overturned after the tire giant appealed. In a decision, the justices ruled Ledbetter should have filed suit within days of the very first time Goodyear paid her less than her peers.
Having missed that window, Ledbetter had no grounds to sue, according to the court. In retirement Ledbetter became an activist and advocate for gender equity. She was a true hero, and we send our deepest condolences to her family. Lilly taught me the fight for equality starts with pay equity. There can be no true equality without it. Ledbetter kept advocating for equal pay, writing a op-ed for CNN as Congress was once again set to debate the Paycheck Fairness Act, which did not and has not passed.
Paying his respects on X , Rep. Chuy Garcia reiterated that the battle for pay equality was ongoing. We mourn her loss and continue her fight. As of , for every dollar a man earns, a woman is paid 84 cents, according to the National Committee on Pay Equity and the Equal Pay Today campaign.
If part-time workers and those not employed year-round are included, the gender pay gap is worse, at 78 cents on the dollar, said Deborah Vagins, national campaign director of Equal Rights Advocates and director of Equal Pay Today, CNN reported in March. It's a name synonymous with local Bay Area news--Dennis Richmond. As the community grapples with the passing of a legendary anchorman who broke barriers in broadcast journalism, reactions pour in from local and state leaders who share their heartfelt sentiment about his death.
