Moving Away From Fair Pay?

Sadly, though not surprisingly, Republicans filibustered the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (HR 2831) in the U.S. Senate yesterday, effectively killing the bill, the Los Angeles Times reports. The bill would have reversed a Supreme Court ruling that gives victims of pay discrimination only a narrow window — 180 days from the date they first get paid — in which to file a complaint. The bill’s defeat means that victims who discover after that six-month time frame that their employer is shafting them have little recourse.

Of course, the reason Republicans opposed the bill, according to Sen. John McCain, who didn’t bother to turn up to cast his vote but said he would’ve voted no (incidentally, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama both turned up to support the bill), isn’t because they’re against fair pay for American workers, but because the bill might have exposed employers to lawsuits. Hey, here’s a radical idea for employers seeking to avoid litigation: Pay people fairly, and maybe they won’t sue you.