Personal Biography of Lilly Ledbetter

Lilly McDaniel Ledbetter
© Mark Wilson/Getty Images

When President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law on 01/29/09, I was elated. But I was also curious about the woman, Lilly Ledbetter, herself. What had she been through? How has her life changed? And, what circumstances prompted her to take on the monumental task of changing bad law?

I was rather disappointed to find very little information about the personal story of the woman behind the legal victory. But after hours of research was able to glean enough information from interviews, clips, and court documents to discover that Lilly was a wife, mother, grandmother, and an extraordinarily humble woman of faith.

She endured tremendous hardships during her 19-year employment at Goodyear Rubber and Tire including unfair pay, sexual harassment, and sexual discrimination. Goodyear retaliated against Lilly when she complained by reassigning her from her supervisory job to one that required lifting heavy tires (she was 60 at the time). But Lilly endured and never gave up - and never quit.

Despite an initial legal victory where a jury awarded her back pay and damages, in an appeal by Goodyear, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 against Lilly. Although she received significantly less pay than her less-experienced male peers throughout her employment, she did not know this until just before her retirement. The Supreme Court ruled that her ignorance did not matter; that, since she did not file a pay discrimination complaint within 180 days of her first short paycheck, she had no legal recourse.

But her story does not end there. Lilly went on to testify before Congress and even campaigned with Barack Obama for change. She was highly instrumental in creating new law that eliminated unfavorable provisions allowing employers to pay workers based on color, sex, and other discriminatory reasons less than male, white workers. Thanks to Lilly Ledbetter and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, employers can no longer hide behind the law and blame their victims.

Now 70, and recently widowed, Lilly lives in Jacksonville, Alabama on a small pension and like many Americans worries about losing her home. She will never see restitution from Goodyear but she has seen the day when her own daughter and grandchildren can demand fair pay.

You can send comments to Mrs. Lilly McDaniel Ledbetter through her Facebook home page. If you wish to contribute memorial donations for her husband, a decorated war veteran and career army man, contact the First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 400, Jacksonville 36265.

Thank you, Lilly, for a long and selfless battle. I thank you, and so do my own two daughters.

Successful Women in Business Profiles: The Personal Biography of Lilly Ledbetter