Lilly Ledbetter and Maine

State Sen. Deborah Simpson, D-Auburn, had Lilly Ledbetter in mind when she submitted a bill called "An Act to Ensure Fair Pay." On Wednesday, all four members of Maine's Congressional delegation voted in support of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which allows workers to file charges within 180 days of receiving a discriminatory paycheck. That's different from a 2007 Supreme Court decision that ruled that workers had to file charges within 180 days of the first discriminatory paycheck, which meant Ledbetter, an Alabama factory worker, filed her claim too late. Simpson said she wants to make sure workers in Maine are allowed to talk about their wages so they can determine if they are, in fact, being discriminated against. She said some companies are "more intimidating than others" when it comes to discouraging the sharing of wage information. "I just want to give people the sense they are free to discuss what they earn," she said. Her bill says that not only do employees have a right to talk about what they earn, but that an employer "may not interfere with, discharge or in any manner discriminate against the employee for such inquiries, disclosures, comparisons or other discussions." In statements, Democratic U.S. Reps. Mike Michaud and Chellie Pingree hailed the passage of the federal law that now goes to the desk of President Barack Obama. "It is long past time that we end the discriminatory practice of paying a woman less than a man for performing the same job," Michaud said. "This is not just a women's issue, but one that can affect the whole family. As American families struggle with the current economic crisis, it is more important than ever that working women get paid fairly and equally." In 2007, on average, women in Maine working full-time, year-round earned 76 percent of what men working full-time, year-round earned. "This issue is as basic as it gets," Pingree said. "You should not be paid less because you are a woman. You should not be treated differently because of the color of your skin or your religious beliefs. The Supreme Court has tried to roll back the clock."