My compensation at the former Gulf Oil Corporation started out fine in 1979. Actually, the $22,000 they paid me as an entry-level speechwriter was about double what I had been pulling down as an entry-level media representative at the University of Pittsburgh. But, then I proved myself or so I assumed. The compensation didn't seem to reflect it.
Now, thanks to the likely enactment of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act [S. 181], which removes all statutes of limitations on alleged wage-discrimination disputes, I can seriously considering suing my former employer. It's since become part of Chevron, which makes it even a deeper pocket. As Carter Wood indicates on Pointoflaw.com, President Barack Obama will probably sign it.
The true beauty of Ledetter is that it allows for lawsuits even when the alleged wage discrimination was unintentional. Father forgive my white-bread bosses at that southern-oriented oil company. Their supposed wrongs against me were likely not intended. But they can be grounds for a lawsuit. Yeah, we can stick it to The Man.
So, what were and are my myriad grievances? They include my hunches that my compensation didn't increase adequately because:
- I was fat and had a distinct Jersey City, New Jersey accent. Since I was also female, that wasn't going to fly with the male WASPs, at least back then. Here is my e-book about what I learned during the two economic meltdowns of 21st century about how one comports herself Download CUsersjasneDocumentsjg. The short version: What have I learned? Keep away from WASPs, upper middle class, the smug, and the not-yet-badly-wounded.
- My motor skills were poor. Grace was demanded. The females who did get hefty increments were full of sweetness and light in their body language. Could I also sue under the ADA since I am convinced I have multiple disabilities?
- I was unable to drink like a lady. That wouldn't fly now either. This goes back to class. My ethnic blue-collar family never trained me how to manage alcohol. In our neighborhood there were so many drunks sleeping it off that the Roman Catholic Church had our parents take the pledge annually that they would shun booze. That was supposed to be that. It wasn't. A few months after leaving Gulf for a much better-paying job I joined a 12-step program for this career obstacle. Since then my compensation, in both full-time and consulting settings, has increased exponentially.
- I liked to work hard. That was and still is a defensive strategy in corporate life. Worker bees are perceived as naive. They become objects of ridicule at best, torment at worst.
It would be fun to sue. I default toward mischief. But litigation can be a full-time pursuit. Actually, those I've known who have taken on employers lost not only years of their lives but also their minds. Like the Ancient Mariner they could only recount the latest development in "their lawsuit."
Also, I don't want that kind of fun, at least not any more. Since 2003, when my successful communications boutique collapsed, I have learned so much about business, life and myself that I can truly create value. Here is my story Download Geezerguts. Right now, my clients, neighbors, and fellow members in 12-step programs [I also swing by the one for porkers] tell me I'm a force for good. Somehow being a menace seems out of character with who I now am. And those who sue, at least it seems to me, delight fully in being a menace.
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