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The first piece of real legislation Barack Obama signed as the 44th President of the United States, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, is named for a woman who was paid less than her male co-workers at a Goodyear tire factory in Alabama.

Ledbetter’s intention was not to be an activist; hers was a personal quest at the start, but after the Supreme Court ruled against her, she decided it was time to become a labor activist for the sake of her daughters and the daughters of working people everywhere.

As you read this woman’s story keep in mind she was employed by
Goodyear an international company named by Fortune magazine as the World’s Most Admired Motor Vehicle Parts Company in its 2008 list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. The publication also ranked Goodyear No. 1 in innovation, people management, use of assets and global orientation. The company is also listed on Forbes magazine’s list of the Most Respected Companies in America and its list of the Most Trustworthy Companies in America. CRO magazine–the publication for executives charged with Corporate Responsibility, ranks Goodyear as number 72 of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens. Goodyear employs about 70,000 people and manufactures its products in more than 60 facilities in 25 countries around the world.

Ledbetter, a 70 year-old widow whose husband died last December, was hired in 1979 to work as an overnight supervisor from 7PM to 7AM at the Goodyear plant. She worked for nearly twenty years and says with reference to her work ethic,”There was nothing I wouldn’t do, no matter how dirty or hard.”

During her career at Goodyear, Ledbetter experienced (more…)

According to a news release from the Akron, Ohio based Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, the world’s largest tire company, will report fourth quarter 2008 financial results before markets open on Wednesday, February 18, 2009 to be followed by an investor conference call at 9 AM on that date.

Despite the recent negative news coverage of the company’s role in the Lilly Ledbetter wage discrimination matter Fortune magazine named Goodyear the World’s Most Admired Motor Vehicle Parts Company in its 2008 list of the World’s Most Admired Companies. (more…)

The very first bill signed into law by President Barack Obama will benefit those who believe they have been affected by wage and gender discrimination in the work place.

On Thursday, January 29, 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama signed legislation into law making it easier for employees to sue for wage discrimination, a measure he said is an important step toward “fundamental fairness” for U.S. workers.

At a White House bill-signing ceremony President Obama said:

“It is fitting that the very first bill that I sign … is an important step, a simple fix to ensure fundamental fairness for American workers.”

The bill known as the Lilly Ledbetter bill in honor of an Alabama woman who worked for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, passed the House in a largely party-line vote Tuesday. The bill was approved by the Senate last week. (more…)

Blanche Africa Reilly Dark continues her report on the King Birthday celebration last week in Daytona Beach, Florida.

We gathered outside the church behind Father Phil and a sanitation truck as we prepared to march to the foot of the Sea Breeze Bridge.  The pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes carried one of the sails from the pulpit to guide the group. The sanitation truck was symbolic of the last crusade Dr. King led for the sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. We marched to the foot of the bridge to remember those who participated in the march to Selma. Many workers were injured and some lost their lives on the day known as “Bloody Sunday”. There were several people in the march who had been with Dr. King at Selma, and Montgomery; they shared their stories of what it was like to be a young person of teenage years making and witnessing history in demonstrating for equal rights for black people in the United States. (more…)

It’s finally happened. It was almost like waiting for your cousin to give birth to a new baby by C-section. You know she’s going to give birth on a specific date and time. You may even know the sex of the child.

That’s what happened when the Illinois state legislature conducted a very public impeachment trial of former Governor Rod Blagojevich. We knew, as did the governor, when he was arrested on December 9, 2008, that it was just a matter of time before he was ousted from the office with much fanfare. The publicity, flamboyance and circus atmosphere surrounding Blagojevich’s actions while governor and his subsequent trial were equal to the way he conducted himself while governor.

We have no fault with what he did. As far as we can see he did nothing wrong. No lives were lost; no one was irreparably harmed. Yet on Thursday, January 29, 2009 the Illinois State Senate voted unanimously, 59-0, to remove Rod Blagojevich from the office of governor, never to hold public office in the state again, for abuse of power. (more…)

Read here for details on what’s happening with Jennifer Hudson, American Idol’s most successful star.

As the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama is taking fast decisive action on some constitutional issues. (more…)

Excerpt of the Inaugural Address delivered by Barack Obama, 44th President Of The United States on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 in Washington, D.C.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. (more…)

At high noon today, Tuesday, January 20, 2009 in the crisp cold air of the capital in Washington, D.C. the 44th POTUS was inaugurated.

In the presence of members of both federal legislative bodies, the members of the Supreme Court, with the presidential oath of office administered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States as prescribed by the U.S. Constitution, Barack Obama became the first Black African American of our era to become the leader of the free world. (more…)

Happy birthday, Michelle Obama! Congratulations and best wishes are in order for the future First Lady of our land. (more…)