TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Do your homework before the election or pay the price, potentially with your job. That's the message one of the key figures in the fight for workplace quality has for Florida women.

After discovering she earned less than her male colleagues at the Goodyear tire plant, Lilly Ledbetter took her fight for equal pay all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Now, with the election looming and an open seat on the high court, she's urging Florida women to think long and hard about which presidential candidate is most likely to advance the cause.

"We are still so far, far behind," she said. "Women still do not get the benefits and the rights that they are entitled to. It is one of the most unbelievable situations in this country."

While Ledbetter lost her case in a 2007 split decision, Congress eventually did pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which was the first act signed into law by President Obama in 2009. Hillary Clinton was a sponsor of that legislation, while Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence voted against it.

Ivanka Trump said during the Republican Convention that her father would likely look at the pay-bias issue. Donald Trump however, has said he'd expect his daughter to leave her job if she were being discriminated against.

Theresa King is the president of the Florida Building Trades, and said that simply isn't an option for most working women.

"To suggest that if I was sexually harassed on a job site, that I am the one who should change careers is an absolute insult to not only me but to every woman that works daily to have their own American dream," she said.

King said she and other members of the Florida AFL-CIO will spend the next few months going door-to-door and trying to educate Florida voters about the importance of women's issues in this election.

Ledbetter said her landmark case may have turned out very differently if a different set of judges sat on the bench. Two of the Supreme Court justices who sided with Ledbetter have since retired, and one who voted against her has died. With one high court vacancy in play, she said it's a reminder that the decisions the next president makes will outlive him or her.

"It could determine our lives for generations to come," she added. "And this year is no less. It is the most critical year of my life."

President Obama and congressional Democrats have tried to pass separate legislation to make it easier for workers to sue for wage discrimination, but that has been blocked by Republicans who argue it would be a boon for trial lawyers that won't help close the pay gap.


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Washington joins a handful of states to do away with mandatory meetings for employees on political or religious matters.

Sometimes known as captive audience meetings, the gatherings were seen as a way for employers to give their opinions on subjects like unionization, and held potential consequences for employees who didn't attend. Lawmakers passed a bill this session allowing workers to skip the meetings without repercussions.

Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, a sponsor of the bill, said we live in a divided society where emotions run high on political topics.

"This bill simply protects employees to have a real choice on whether or not to attend a meeting called by their boss to be told about some political or religious issue," Keiser explained.

Keiser pointed out the legislation is nonpartisan. For instance, employers could not force employees to attend anti-union meetings, but also could not force them to attend a meeting about the importance of reproductive rights. The bill takes effect June 6.

Keiser noted the bill likely got across the finish line this session because of the uptick in union organizing and support for labor. She added there are widely known stories of Starbucks managers, for example, requiring employees to attend anti-union meetings while the employees organized the workplace.

"Employees have been forced to attend meetings to listen to the boss or the employer basically tell them why they shouldn't join a union," Keiser observed.

Washington is the sixth state to pass a law prohibiting attendance at captive audience meetings. Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota and New York have passed similar laws in recent years. Oregon passed a law allowing workers to skip such meetings without repercussions in 2010.


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A bill vetoed by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin would have raised the state's minimum wage to $15 an hour starting in 2026.

While the bill moved out of committee and the General Assembly, it did so on party-line votes. Youngkin opposed the bill, saying it could hurt small businesses and some restaurants.

Jay Speer, executive director of the Virginia Poverty Law Center, said it was disappointing to see the measure vetoed.

"Wages are way too low. People cannot afford housing and food and everything else," Speer pointed out. "It's a disappointment that they can't raise the minimum wage so people can survive. I mean, it's long overdue."

Passing the bill was part of a 2020 minimum-wage increase requiring a reauthorization to bring it up to $15. A state study found a person has to make at least $14.55 an hour to afford the cheapest place to live while only spending one-third of his or her income on housing. The current minimum wage in Virginia is $12 an hour, but around 500,000 Virginians make $12 or less.

Youngkin also vetoed a bill ending exemptions from Virginia's minimum-wage requirements for farmworkers or temporary foreign workers.

Kim Bobo, executive director of the Virginia Interfaith Center on Public Policy, said it was not as impactful since most farmworkers make more than the minimum wage. But she said the exemption remains for another reason.

"The only reason farmworkers continue to be exempted in Virginia is racism," Bobo contended. "That's why they're exempted. And, we should just change that, like there's no reason not to. It really does not affect that many workers in Virginia."

Youngkin and other legislators with a farming background said the bill would hinder farmers' ability to turn a profit.

New York restaurant workers need to know their rights to better navigate their workplaces. A new report finds high rates of what it calls "occupational segregation" in the restaurant industry, which can relegate some people to lower-paying jobs.

Workers' rights organizations are counteracting this with training programs. Alima Iskakova, a server for Exquisite Staffing, a catering company, said the CHOW training from Restaurant Opportunities Centers United is helping her.

"Since I completed this training course, I am more confident when it comes to job interviews," she said. "I am more confident - like, when it comes to these types of interviews, plus with all my experience and the knowledge that I got from ROC United, I have a higher income."

She was also trained in safe food handling, OSHA certification and other need-to-know information about the restaurant industry. These courses are available in several cities beyond New York.

The report also notes that, unlike training offered by organizations such as the National Restaurant Association, these courses prioritize developing restaurant workers' power to support individual career development.

The report says racism and sexism abound in the restaurant industry. White men make up a majority of higher-earning positions, such as bartenders.

Although these training courses are helpful, Iskakova noteed that not knowing English can be a disadvantage. She said other cultural differences can make this work challenging.

"In the hospitality industry, even like when people come here as an immigrant, they don't know the rules, they don't know the laws," she said. "And ROC United, they help us to do the cover letter, resume. There are certain things - like, there is a difference."

Another challenge she encountered was the difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit.

Iskakova said her work has been interesting, but she's got ambitions outside of food service. Along with photography, she's a communications major at CUNY.


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