Lilly Ledbetter, an activist who made it easier for women to challenge their employers over unfair pay, publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton on Thursday.
“Women across this country need more than rhetoric; they need action—they need a fighter in the White House. I firmly believe Hillary Clinton will be that fighter,” Ledbetter wrote in a blog post published on HillaryClinton.com.
The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 was a result of a suit Ledbetter filed when she found out that her employer, Goodyear Tire (GT), paid her less than her male counterparts. She filed the suit in 1998—19 years after she was first hired—and the Supreme Court ruled that it was too late for her to be compensated.
The 2009 statute, signed into law by President Obama, states that an employee may file an equal-pay lawsuit within 180 days of each new paycheck, making it much easier to challenge wage discrimination in court.
Clinton was a sponsor of the law in the Senate, wrote Ledbetter: “We fought side by side to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Act, which she co-sponsored in the United States Senate, and she has been a tireless champion for the Paycheck Fairness Act.”
Moreover, she writes, Clinton understands the frustrations of wage inequality. “For Hillary, this is about more than politics—it’s personal,” Ledbetter added. “She just gets it, plain and simple.”