It's Time To Make Lilly Right!

Llly Ledbetter is the namesake of a new federal law, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which gives workers who are discriminated against a fair chance to sue their employers. Ledbetter worked the graveyard shift as a supervisor at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Compa in Alabama for nearly two decades where she endured sexual harassment and daily discrimination. As she neared retirement, Ledbetter discovered, by way of an anonymous tip, that she was paid significantly less than her male counterparts.

In 1998 Ledbetter sued the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Jacksonville, Alabama for discrimination. A jury originally awarded her 3 million dollars, but the case was eventually overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court on a vote of 5 to 4 because the complaint was made more than 180 days from receiving the first discriminatory paycheck.

When Seattle small business owner Deb Bluestein read that Lilly would never see a dime from the Goodyear case, she was outraged. Ledbetter is a mother and a grandmother whose husband, an Army vet, died in December of last year. Bluestein put her head together with friend Linda Mitchell to find a way to “make Lilly right”.

Anyone interested in helping can send their checks, made payable to Lilly Ledbetter, to Bluestein at 964 Denny Way, Seattle, WA 98109 who will forward them on to Lilly.

You can reach Bluestein and Mitchell at forlilly@hotmail.com, or via the facebook page: Make Lilly Right.