According to the Dallas Business Journal, with the passage of the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, more lawsuits are likely involving claims of wage-bias. The Journal reported the following:
"The U.S. Senate has passed legislation that would restart the statute of limitations for filing wage discrimination lawsuits each time a worker receives a paycheck that was affected by a discriminatory decision.
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (Senate Bill 181) passed Jan. 22 on a 61-36 vote. The House previously passed similar legislation, so the Senate action means the bill will be signed into law by President Barack Obama, who supported it.
Supporters said the legislation was needed to reverse a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned a pay discrimination award won by Ledbetter, a supervisor at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. in Gadsden, Ala. Ledbetter filed her claim years after Goodyear decided to pay her much less than her male counterparts. This means the 180-day statute of limitations for filing workplace discrimination claims had expired, the court ruled.
Ledbetter and her supporters said this decision was unfair because it allows employers to get away with wage discrimination if they can keep it secret for 180 days. Plus, they argued, wage discrimination is an ongoing act that is reflected in each unfair paycheck."
