U.S. Men's Soccer Union Files Brief Supporting Women's Pay Discrimination Claims

[zuul]

Full Title: U.S. Men’s Soccer Union Files Brief Supporting Women’s Pay Discrimination Claims: Federation Treated World Cup Winners as ‘Second-Class Citizens

https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/u-s-mens-soccer-union-files-brief-supporting-womens-pay-discrimination-claims-federation-treated-world-cup-winners-as-second-class-citizens/

The men’s U.S. soccer labor union has weighed in on the dispute between members of the women’s team and the U.S. Soccer Federation, and the men’s position is unequivocal: U.S. Soccer has discriminated against the U.S. Women’s National Team for decades, and equal pay is long overdue.

In a strongly-worded amicus brief filed in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday, the United States National Soccer Team Players Association (USNSTPA) sided with the women players, who have appealed a lower court’s decision dismissing their pay discrimination case.

The USNSTPA is the labor organization for current and former members of the men’s national soccer team. An amicus brief, also known as a “friend of the court” brief, is filed by a non-party with an interest in the case with the intent of influencing the court’s decision.

The men’s amicus brief was filed Friday, one week after litigants from the women’s team—including superstars Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Carli Lloyd, and Christen Press—filed an appellate brief. From the start, it was clear whose side the men were taking.

[PoliticAverse]

1. A main reason the original lawsuit was rejected was the claim that the women's team was offered

the same contract as the men's team but rejected it:

(from: https://www.npr.org/2020/05/02/849492863/federal-judge-dismisses-u-s-womens-soccer-team-s-equal-pay-claim )

"The WNT [Women's National Team] rejected an offer to be paid under the same pay-to-play structure as the MNT [Men's National Team] and ... the WNT was willing to forgo higher bonuses for other benefits, such as greater base compensation and the guarantee of a higher number of contracted players," Klausner wrote. "Accordingly, Plaintiffs cannot now retroactively deem their CBA worse than the MNT CBA by reference to what they would have made had they been paid under the MNT's pay-to-play structure when they themselves rejected such a structure."

The judge said the women's contract guarantees players will be paid regardless of whether they play. The men are paid if they are called into camp to play and then participate in a match. On this point, Klausner said, the plaintiff's statements "were insufficient to establish a genuine dispute."

[Sympthsical]

2. If you mix in the cost of benefits, the women make more

It's when you look strictly at pay where you see a massive disparity.

Now the reason for this is that the men work for various teams around the world. Those private clubs are the ones doling out health care, retirement, medical leave, etc. So the national team doesn't have to provide that for men.

Women's leagues don't have the money to provide those kinds of benefits, so the renegotiated contract provides them.

If women's pay is at par with men's pay, plus the women continue getting the benefits the men's team doesn't, they will ultimately be getting a lot more than the men.

So how you fall on this is whether or not it's correct or fair that the national team provides these benefits for the women's team in addition to the same pay men get, while letting private clubs continue handling the men's benefits.

If you look strictly at the pay, yeah, it looks like the men are getting a crazy amount more. It's when you look at the full package where you go, "Wait. This isn't what it seems."

I don't really mind if the women get benefits from the national team plus more pay. If we want a competitive national team, that's going to be how that goes. Private women's soccer just doesn't pay in this country.

[Enter stage left]

3. Elite athletes have ALWAYS been paid more...

The women's soccer team has a higher win percentage and more incredible athletes than the mens team.

Pay them more!

[Sympthsical]

4. They are getting paid

Their total compensation package is worth more than the men's pay.

[Enter stage left]

5. They are better than the men...

It's nice having benefits, but you can spend benefits.

You're comparing apples to oranges. I don't expect that on DU.

They're better, they deserve more!

[Sympthsical]

6. It's apples to apples

How much are the players being compensated by the federation? There's a reason the story always very narrowly focuses on the pay bonuses and not the total compensation package. Which the women's union signed off on a few years ago. They wanted guaranteed salaries. They got them. The men do not have guaranteed compensation. If they don't play, they don't get paid.

What the argument is about mainly is bonus pay. A lot of that actually has to do with FIFA. FIFA doesn't pay World Cup bonuses anywhere near equal to the men's.

I don't have a dog in this fight. But there's a reason this goes out into the media with the very narrow focus on the bonus and appearance structures. Because those are disparate at first glance.

Then you look at total compensation, and you realize it's honestly not disparate.

It bothers me a bit that the story is so heavily spun as a narrative. Truth and facts count.

[Enter stage left]

7. Are you saying the men need better union representation?

That's what it sounds like.

On a more reasonable note, every person working needs better union representation.'

The right has spent the last 50+ years destroying the unions. It is long past time to fight back.

The unions do take some money from their members, but nowhere close to the amount their benefits pay them.

The Repuq party wants to destroy the unions, we need to fight back with every ounce of fight in our political bodies.

Benefits are wonderful, I won't dispute that, but try feeding a family of 4 or 5 with that much less money in your bank account.

Equal pay for equal work, benefits are a bonus, not compensation.

[GulfCoast66]

8. The US women's team is one of the best, if not the best in the world.

I really think they should be paid more.

Sure, not as many people watch the women’s MLS games. But we are talking US Soccer. The organization that supports US soccer.

How many watched the USMST in the last World Cup or Olympics? 0! Because they were not there.

When the men’s team is worth a shit, pay them.

[OnlinePoker]

9. Here are a couple of interesting recent videos from Nate the Lawyer on this subject.

The second one is interesting as it goes to the argument of revenue coming in and what the women's team believes it should be paid vis-a-vis the world cup prize bonuses.