Johnny Isakson: “first of all, just to amplify the record on the Lilly Ledbetter case, the Supreme Court did not rule against Ms.…”

“first of all, just to amplify the record on the Lilly Ledbetter case, the Supreme Court did not rule against Ms. Ledbetter. They upheld the statute of limitations of 180 days for claims filed under civil rights laws. She had come to the court, not a few months after the alleged incident, but years and years later. Only then did she try to make a case. The Court was upholding the law which this Congress passed. Secondly, I rise, reluctantly, to oppose the nomination of Craig Becker, and I do so based on experience, not based on a whim, not based on politics but based on what I have experienced in the past 6 months in terms of confirmation in labor-related positions. As you may know, I am from Atlanta, GA. That is the home of Delta Air Lines that has recently merged with Northwest Airlines to form the largest airlines in the United States of America. The National Mediation Board oversees labor issues with regard to the industry. In the merger of Delta and Northwest, the merger of two different companies with different cultures--Delta less organized and Northwest more--one of the major questions about that merger as it related to labor law was what would the law be to govern a unionization vote, in this case, of the flight attendants. Northwest flight attendants were organized; Delta's were not.”