Washington, D.C. – Alabama native Lilly Ledbetter's crusade for equal pay may have become a cause celebre in some quarters, but Alabama's all-male congressional delegation apparently isn't moved.
All but one of the state's lawmakers is opposing legislation named after Ledbetter that would give women and other workers more time to file lawsuits for wage discrimination.
Sens. Richard Shelby of Tuscaloosa and Jeff Sessions of Mobile were among the 36 Republicans who opposed the Senate version Thursday night. Earlier this month, Rep. Artur Davis, a Democrat from Birmingham, was alone among Alabama's seven House members in supporting a similar measure.
The bill still appears poised to become law after easily passing both chambers.
Ledbetter, a 70-year-old grandmother who worked at the Goodyear plant in Gadsden, has become a hero among women's groups and labor organizations.
Opponents of the proposed law say it goes too far and could lead to an onslaught of lawsuits.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)