US Supreme Court curbs workers’ ability to sue for pay discrimination

by wsws (reposted)

Thu, May 31, 2007 2:24PM

The US Supreme Court on Tuesday sharply curtailed the ability of workers to sue employers who engage in pay discrimination. With the 5-4 decision, the court reversed long-standing legal precedent and administrative practice, reinterpreting workplace discrimination provisions of the 1964 Civil Rights Act in a manner that shields companies which illegally penalize employees because of their gender, race, religion or national origin.

Workers who suffer pay discrimination because of age or disability will also be adversely affected by the ruling.

The case, Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, involved a suit by a female supervisor, Lilly Ledbetter, who charged she was unfairly given lower pay than her male counterparts in the course of her nearly two-decade tenure at Goodyear. She won her case before a jury in federal district court, only to have the verdict reversed by a federal appeals court.

Tuesday’s high court ruling, which upheld the appeals court decision, is a massive legal attack on women workers, and on the working class as a whole.

Read More
http://wsws.org/articles/2007/may2007/supr-m31.shtml

Add Your Comments

Support Independent Media

We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!