Hall, Sadowski, and Karen Larsen, right, who had her own story about working for a company for several years, then being surprised with a raise, by a boss who told her he discovered a long-standing pay disparity

NEW WINDSOR – U.S. Rep John Hall is hoping the Senate will find a way to pass a pair of bills that he says give women new tools to challenge sex discrimination by employers.  The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act both passed the House last week, mostly along party lines. 

Democrats in the Senate do not have a filibuster-proof majority.

Hall, speaking at the YWCA of Orange County offices in New Windsor, said the bills addresses a critical need.

“This wage gap is not just unfair to women.  It also hurts their children, of course, and the rest of their families.  Women are more likely to be heads of single-parent families.”

YWCA Executive Director Christine Sadowski said it is a significant issue in Orange County.

“Women in Orange County are almost twice as likely to be unemployed, then men.  All of this statistics I just gave you are on the rise, and not in the right direction.  Women need pay equity to survive.”

The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is named for Lilly Ledbetter, who worked for 18 years at Goodyear before finding out that men who worked at the company in exactly the same job, earned more.  The bill would remove a 180-day limitation on filing a civil rights claim. 

The Paycheck Fairness Act shifts some of the burden of proof to the employer to show that a wage differential is justified, based on a clear difference in qualifications, such as education and time in career.

President-Elect Barack Obama supports both bills and is expected to sign them if they pass the Senate.