Fair Pay Day

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On January 29^th 2009, President Obama signed his first bill in office - the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act. [2] In a packed room, Mrs. Lilly Ledbetter was in attendance to see this historic day. For 10 years this 71-year old Alabama Goodyear Tire factory worker led the charge to close the gap between women's and men's wages. For nearly two decades Ledbetter was paid less than her male colleagues for the same work.

Upon signing the bill President Obama cited Ledbetter as a trailblazer and referenced his grandmother Mrs. Dunham, "even after she hit that glass ceiling, she kept getting up and giving her best because she wanted better for me and my sister." President Obama continued, "signing this bill today sends a clear message: that making our economy work means making sure it works for everybody; there are no second class citizens in our workplace." (photo: American Progress)