Sex, Age & Money

If the job market feels like it’s shrinking, at least Congress is expanding your right to equal pay, and the courts are hearing cases about leveling the playing field as you age. Lilly Ledbetter made waves when her quest for fair pay led to the first bill that President Obama signed into law. We look at how the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 affects older workers and the state of age bias in the American workplace.

Acting Out for Fair Pay

Hear what equal-pay advocate Lilly Ledbetter has to say about President Obama’s first law. One of the original sponsors of the bill,  U.S. Representative Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) joins Sheilah to discuss the issue.

Fair Pay Fallout

Does the Fair Pay Act mean more lawsuits or a real change in the way business is done? Rep. Tim Bishop is back to discuss the results expected from the Ledbetter legislation.

More or Less?

When it comes to equal pay legislation, employment lawyer Debra Katz says there’s more to do. Darren McKinney of the American Tort Reform Association says the act has already gone too far. The two debate what Congress should do next.

Workforce Issues

As jobs grow increasingly scarce, will instances of age bias rise? We hear about a Hollywood writers’ suit in its 10th year and about the latest workforce issues. We’re joined by AARP’s Deborah Russell.

Resources

• 10 Ways to Overcome Age Bias (retirementjobs website).

• Be your own advocate with advice from Workplace Fairness, an educational nonprofit for employee rights.

• Learn more about the Writers’ Class-Action Age Discrimination Cases.

• Know your rights. Check out the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (U.S. Department of Labor).
• The National Women’s Law Center and the National Committee on Pay Equity work to advance workplace equality.

• Read AARP's “What You Can Do About Age Bias."

The Host

Through most of her distinguished reporting career, Sheilah Kast has focused on the economy and workplace and how they affect people's lives. Well known to viewers of public television, ABC News, and CNN, she has covered the White House and Congress.

Kast also reported on the Washington aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. Her stories included an investigation of anthrax in the mails and the struggles of bereaved Pentagon families to secure benefits.

At The Washington Star, in her first reporting job, Kast covered financial regulation, taxes, and energy. Her expertise in these important issues eventually led her to start a national public-television show, "This Week in Business," which she hosted in association with Business Week magazine.

Ms. Kast is a skilled interviewer. She has often hosted NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday and has her own current-affairs interview show on public radio in Maryland.

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