Umyeni wakhe, i-CSM uCharles J. Ledbetter (i-US Army ret.), Wayengumdlali wezilwane ohlotshiswe kakhulu. Ngokudabukisayo, wafa ngoDisemba 11, 2008, eneminyaka engu-73 ubudala futhi akazange aphile isikhathi eside ngokwanele ukubona uMongameli Obama ebhalisa uMthetho weLilly Ledbetter Fair Pay ka-2009 waba ngumthetho ngoJanuwari 29, 2009.
Manje u-70, u-Lilly uhlala e-Jacksonville, e-Alabama ngempesheni encane futhi njengabantu abaningi baseMelika bakhathazekile ngokulahlekelwa yikhaya lakhe.
ULilly Ledbetter, i-Humble, i-New American Icon
ULilly Ledbetter wayeqashwe yiTreyear Tire neRubber iminyaka eyishumi nesishiyagalolunye ngaphambi kokuba athole ukuthi ukhokhelwe kakhulu umsebenzi owodwa njengontanga yakhe yabesilisa. Wafaka icala ngokumelene noGoodyear, futhi ngemuva kokulwa kwempi ende, icala lakhe lagqunywa eNkantolo Ephakeme yase-United States; walahleka.
Inkantolo Ephakeme yathi uthathe isikhathi eside kakhulu ukufaka isikhalazo. Lesi sinqumo, okwenza kube lula kubaqashi ukuthi babalekele imikhuba yokubandlululwa kwemali, bekuyoba yinkinga yomthetho ephikisana kakhulu yizo zombili izidemokhrasi kanye namaRiphabhuliki: uMcCain wayene "Joe the Plumber" futhi u-Obama wayene "uLilly Ledbetter."
Umsebenzi Onzima Naphezu Kwezimo Ezibucayi
Kusukela ngo-1979 kuya ku-1998 uLilly wasebenza ngentshiseko ku-plant Goodyear ngehora lesishiyagalolunye kusukela ngo-7: 00 kuya ku-7 ekuseni lapho ehlushwa khona nsuku zonke ekubandlululeni ngokobulili nasekuhlukunyezweni.
Wathola "Award Performance Award" ngo-1996, kodwa ukuvuswa kwakhe akukaze kufane nokusebenza kwakhe futhi akuhambisani nalabo abanikezwa amadoda.
Ngonyaka ka-2007, wafakaza phambi kweCongress mayelana nesinghonghoyilo sakhe se-EEOC mayelana nomphathi owayefuna izifiso zobulili uma efuna ukubuyekezwa komsebenzi okuhle. Wabuyiselwa, kodwa ukubeka amalungelo akhe kwenza izinto zibe zimbi kakhulu futhi kwaholela ekuzihlukaniseni, ukucwaswa ngokobulili nokuphindisela ngokumelene noLedbetter.
Ingelosi kaLilly engaziwa
U-Lilly wasayina inkontileka nomqashi wakhe ukuthi ngeke akhulume ngamazinga okukhokha nabanye abasebenzi. Wayengenalo indlela yokwazi ukuthi wayesekhokhwa imali ngaphambi kokuthatha umhlalaphansi ngaphambi kokuba ahlale engaziwa namuhla, washayela inothi lakhe ebhokisini lakhe lemeyili. Le ncwajana ibhaliswe amaholo omunye amadoda amathathu enza okufanayo ayekhokhelwe u-$ 4,286 kuya ku-$ 5,236 ngenyanga. ULilly wenza imali engu-3 727 kuphela ngenyanga. Lapho efaka isikhalazo ku-EEOC wabe esebelwe ukuphakamisa amathayi anzima. Wayeseneminyaka engama-60 ngaleso sikhathi kodwa waqhubeka enza imisebenzi yomqashi wakhe ononya onyidinga kuye.
Isizathu Salokho Ayenzile
ULilly wayengazi ukuthi wayekhokha imali engaphansi. Wayenqatshelwe ukubuza noma ukukhuluma ngamholo akhokhelwayo. Wayengenalo ubufakazi obubonakalayo kuze kube yilapho esekulungele ukuthatha umhlalaphansi iminyaka engu-19 emsebenzini wakhe ayekhohliswa.
Ekugcineni, iNkantolo Ephakeme yase-United States inqume ukuthi ukuma ngokomthetho, umuntu kufanele afake isikhalazo ngaphakathi kuka-180 womkhuba wokuqala wokukhokhela ukubandlulula - ngisho noma bebengakwazi ngakho kuze kube yilapho sekude. Lokhu kwavumela abaqashi ukuba bahambe nabasebenzi abangaphansi kokukhokhelwa ngokusekelwe kumbala, ubulili, noma ezinye izizathu zokubandlulula uma nje abasebenzi bebengakwazi ngakho futhi bathathe isenzo esisheshayo somthetho.
Umzamo Ongenabugovu
ULedbetter wadlala indima ebalulekile ekukhulumeni osombusazwe, iCongress, ngisho noBarack Obama noHillary Clinton ngomzamo wokubamba isidingo sokushintsha. UJohn McCain noSara Palin bobabili bavumelana nesinqumo seNkantolo Ephakeme yase-United States (uMcCain akazange asekele ukukhokha okulungile okuyobekwa umthetho ngokukhokhelwa kwabafazi). UMcCain naye wenza izitatimende ezingalungile mayelana nombono kaLedbetter waze wabona ukuthi umthetho ohlongozwayo ube "iphupho lommeli wecala."
U-Ledbetter, owesifazane othobekile, uphikisa imithetho engazange ivikele abasebenzi ekubandlululweni nakuba yena engasoze azuze ngokuqondile emizamweni yakhe.
Ngamazwi kaLilly's Own
Ngomhla ka-Ephreli 22, 2008, umyalezo we-blog u-Lilly wabhala lokhu okulandelayo:
"NgiseWashington kuleli sonto, ngisuka ehhovisi leSenate ngiya ehhovisi leSenate ukuze ngisekele uMthetho weLilbet Ledbetter Fair Pay - umthetho obizwa ngegama lami. Angikaze ngiqagele lokhu yilokho engingakwenza kulokhu empilweni yami !"Ngasebenza kanzima kuGoodyear, futhi nginomsebenzi emsebenzini wami. Kodwa ngazo zonke izinkokhelo, ngincane kunami futhi ngingaphansi komthetho ukuthi nginelungelo.
"[Isinqumo seNkantolo Ephakeme] saba yisinyathelo sokubuyela emuva, nesinqumo esibi hhayi nje kimi kuphela kodwa kubo bonke abesifazane abangahle balwe nokucwaswa kwemali."
ULilly Ledbetter Awukwazi Ukuzuza Emthethweni Omusha, Kodwa Abanye Abesifazane Kungenzeka
Icala likaLilly Ledbetter ngokumelene noGoyeyear alikwazi ukuphindwa futhi umthetho omusha awusizile ukuwudlula angeke awuthole ukubuyiselwa kwakhe kuGoodyear.
Imibiko kaLilly eneminyaka engama-70 ubudala isaphila "ukukhokhwa ukukhokhwa" (izinkokhelo zakhe zokuthatha umhlalaphansi zisekelwe enkokhelweni ebandlululwa ekhokhelwe). "Ngizoba yisakhamuzi sesibili sokuphila kwami konke ... Ithinta yonke imali enginayo namuhla." (1)
Kodwa njengoba ehambela eWashington, DC ngokusayina komthetho omusha obizwa ngegama lakhe, wathi, "Ngijabule kakhulu ngokuthi ekugcineni lokhu kudlulile futhi kuthumela umlayezo eNkantolo Ephakeme: Uthola iphutha." (2)
Umlando Wezehlakalo Zezomthetho eLilly Ledbetter vs. Goodyear
- 1979 - November 1998: ULilly wasebenza njengomphathi wendawo yeGoodyear Tire neRubber Company esitshalweni sayo saseGadsden, Alabama.
Ngo-1998: ULedbetter uthumele i-questionnaire kwiKhomishana ye-Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ebuza ngemiholo.
- Julayi 1998: Inkokhelo ehlelekile ye-EEOC. Izimangalo ezimbili ezibalulekile ezikhulunywa nguLedbetter: Isihloko VII sikhokha ukubandlululwa kwesicelo kanye nesicelo ngaphansi kwe-Equal Pay Act ka-1963 (EPA), 29 USC §206 (d).
Ngemva kokufaka isikhalazo, u-Ledbetter, ngaleso sikhathi eseneminyaka engama-60 ubudala, wabe esabelwa ukuphakamisa amathayi anzima; ngokucacile isenzo sokubuyisela i-Goodyear.
Inkantolo yesifunda yavumela ezinye zezimangalo zikaLedbetter, kuhlanganise nesihloko sakhe VII ukukhokha ukubandlululwa isicelo sokuqhubeka nokuhlolwa. Kodwa iNkantolo yesifunda inikeze isinqumo sokufinyeleleka ngokuqondene neGoyeyear ngezinsolo zakhe eziningana, kuhlanganise nesicelo sakhe se-Equal Pay Act.
- Novemba 1998: ULedbetter washiya umhlalaphansi ekuseni futhi wafaka inkantolo "efakazela, phakathi kwezinye izinto, ukucwaswa ngokobulili ngaphansi kwesihloko VII se-Civil Rights Act ka-1964."
Ijaji linikeze uLedbetter cishe ngamadola ayizigidi ezingu-3.3, kodwa imali kamuva yancishiswa yaba ngu-$ 300,000.
- November 2006 - May 2007: I- Goodyear yenze inkantolo eNkantolo eNkulu yase-United States eyashintsha isinqumo senkantolo esezansi ngokuqondene noGoodyear. Evoti elingu-5-4, kunqunywe ukuthi uLedbetter wayengenelungelo lokuthola isinxephezelo ngoba wafaka isicelo sakhe ngaphezu kwezinsuku ezingu-180 ngemuva kokuthola imali yokukhokha yokuqala yokubandlulula. ( Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. , 550 US 618; R048; No. 05-1074; Uphikisana 11/27/06; Ukhethiwe 05/29/07.
- NgoJanuwari 2009: Le mpi yaqhubeka nemithetho eminyanisweni eyethulwa ukushintsha umthetho. NgoJanuwari 29, 2009, uMthetho we-Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay ka-2009 usayinwe ngumthetho nguMongameli uBarack Obama.
Uma ufisa ukwenza umyeni wakhe umnikelo wokukhumbula, uCharles, owadlula ngoDisemba 2008, uxhumane ne-First Baptist Church, PO Box 400, Jacksonville 36265.
Imithombo:
(1) Izindaba zeBirmingham , ngoJanuwari 23, 2009
(2) Izindaba zeBirmingham , ngoJanuwari 28, 2009