President Signals End to Bush Anti-Labor Policies

By Victoria Baldassano
Part-time Professor of English, Montgomery College
Local 500 Bargaining Committee Member

With the signing of his first bill Jan. 29, President Barrack Obama sent a strong signal to American workers that the anti-labor policies of the Bush era are over. Mr. Obama signed The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, effectively reversing a U.S. Supreme Court decision that made it more difficult for employees to sue their employers for wage discrimination. The importance of the new law to workers was made even more evident by the diverse crowd invited to watch the bill signing in the White House East Room.

Prominent women’s rights advocates, labor union leaders, civil rights veterans, and well-known lawmakers attended, as did several rank-and-file union members. Merle Cuttitta, President of SEIU Local 500, led a small Local 500 contingent. Also present were members of SEIU local unions that represent cafeteria workers, homecare workers, and maintenance personnel.

The bill was named after the only female supervisor at an Alabama Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. plant. After 19 years with the company, Lilly Ledbetter sued when she discovered that she had been paid less than every male supervisor at the plant. With support from conservative justices, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Ledbetter in 2007. The court held that, under its interpretation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Ledbetter should have filed her lawsuit within 180 days after the discriminatory act first occurred. By narrowing the timeframe in which workers could sue employers for wage discrimination, the court’s ruling made such lawsuits much more difficult. The president reversed the court’s decision with a stroke of his pen, allowing workers the ongoing right to file a claim up to 180 days after they receive any discriminatory paycheck.

In prepared remarks, Obama noted that Lilly Ledbetter’s journey to the Supreme Court had taken 10 years, but she will never receive the money Goodyear owes her.

“Lilly knows that this story isn’t just about her,” he said. “It’s the story of women across this country, still earning 78 cents for every dollar men earn. Women of color even less.”

“Equal pay is by no means just a women’s issue; it’s a family issue,” added the president. Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several other members of Congress surrounded him as he signed the bill.

First Lady Michelle Obama and Lilly Ledbetter, who had attended the bill signing, spoke to the crowd afterwards at a reception in the State Dining Room. The mood was almost euphoric as activists who had been working under the shadow of an unfriendly administration for eight long years savored the victory.

Both the president and first lady greeted anyone who approached them, not distinguishing between the famous personalities and ordinary people present. The ease with which they worked the crowd spoke well not only of their teamwork, but of their commitment to ordinary citizens. The moment also suggested that with this president the White House may be much more open than under previous administrations.

The president continued his pro-labor initiatives on Jan. 30, when he signed several executive orders reversing Bush administration policies. “The orders will require federal contractors to offer jobs to current workers when contracts change,” and limit the ability of such contractors to promote anti-union policies in the workplace, according to the Washington Post. In just his first two weeks, the president has acted boldly on issues of enormous importance to working people, and won high approval ratings from the public.

SEIU members across the nation hope he will continue that momentum by keeping his commitment to sign the Employee Free Choice Act, a bill that would make it much easier for workers to join unions.