Work Life steals top honors as Obama’s first signed law in office

Rumblings of work life balance were heard around the world early on in the 2008 presidential race. Right out of the gate, Michelle Obama made it very clear that her family, and in fact the lives of Malia and Sasha would be a top priority entering the White House. Then came President Obama’s creation of the White House Task Force on Working Families. So the stage was set for a deep empathetic response to the needs of working families.

So it was no surprise, although quiet the attention-grabber, that President Obama’s first penning of a law –  just happened to be equal pay legislation. The fact that it’s his first law, is particularly telling. I wonder if it was just a fluke  that at this time in history as we endure the worst economic downturn since the great depression – that such an issue as wage discrimination would take the stage?

The Lilly Ledbetter Act removes obstacles to pay discrimination lawsuits by altering the structure of the statue of limitations, which governs the filing of such cases. Wage discrimination is arguably an important concern to the overall workforce, but this sends a message of, “I’m on the working families agenda,” by President Obama.

That this kicks off Mr. Obama’s foray into the legaleeze responsibilities of his position as commander in chief, is particularly exciting. It also raises some red flags for everyone. How many of us are now doing a double take, as we gaze at our paychecks?

In Sue Shellenbarger’s blog post on the Wall Street Journal’s blog – The Juggle, she raises the question of whether we might also be a bit more concerned with the pay of our co-workers. It brings up a disconcerting notion at a time when must of us are just concerned about keeping the paycheck coming. But how do you know if you are being paid fairly and is there really anything you can do about it short of hauling your employer into court in this climate?

Shellenbarger’s post points to a number of dotcoms which list market pay rates for individual sectors. Check out Salary.com, Payscale.com, Salaryexpert.comand Glassdoor.com.