The Obama Administration’s stealth plan to remake the workplace

Liza Mundy, director of the breadwinning and caregiving program at the New America Foundation, notes that the first piece of legislation Obama signed after taking office in 2009 was the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which expanded the ability of workers to file equal-pay lawsuits. At that time, Democrats enjoyed majorities in both houses, which they lost in 2011 when the Republicans regained control of the House. “They had some successes with actual legislation at the beginning, but now that we have a divided government, it’s more stealth measures,” says Mundy.