I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
President Barack Obama made good on another of his campaign promises by signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law today. It was the first bill the new president signed into law.
Barack Obama talking to women at an Albuquerque event from June 2008.
When he signed the bill, Obama said he intends to send a message “that making our economy work means making sure it works for everyone. That there are no second class citizens in our workplaces, and that it’s not just unfair and illegal — it’s bad for business — to pay someone less because of their gender, or their age, race, ethnicity, religion or disability.”
The bill, according to the USA Today’s On Deadline blog, “cancels out a Supreme Court ruling last year that declared plaintiffs had to file wage claims within 180 days of a company’s decision to pay a worker less than a counterpart doing the same work.” This meant that if you did not know within 180 days of the start of the discrimination, you could not sue for discrimination.
New Mexico politicians respond
Some local politicians quickly issued press releases applauding the act.
U.S. Sen. Tom Udall’s release “cheered” the signing. “Equal work should earn equal pay and after years of fighting against workforce discrimination I am proud President Obama has signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law,” Udall said.
Udall, a Democrat, also said he believes people should be paid based on the “quality of their work” and said the law “goes a long way towards making that principle a reality, not just an ideal.”
U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, another Democrat, said he was “honored” to have voted for the the bill, which “ensures that women will get equal pay for equal work.”
“Individuals need to be treated fairly in the workplace — regardless of their gender, race, age, or faith, and this legislation reaffirms this very basic fact,” said Luján.
The entire New Mexico delegation, both in the House and Senate, voted for the legislation.
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish also supported the bill. She said: “It’s not about women’s rights. It’s about human rights, fairness, and creating equal opportunities for every American to pursue success.”
“The fight for equal rights and fair pay has been long fought,” Denish said. “The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is one more step toward paving a path to equality for my daughters and granddaughter.”
Obama mentioned Lilly Ledbetter multiple times while in Albuquerque for an event with area women.
