U.S. Soccer and Women's Players Agree to Settle Equal Pay Lawsuit

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: New York Times

A six-year fight over equal pay that had pitted key members of the World Cup-winning United States women’s soccer team against their sport’s national governing body ended on Tuesday morning with a settlement that included a multimillion-dollar payment to the players and a promise by their federation to equalize pay between the men’s and women’s national teams. Under the terms of the agreement, the athletes — a group comprising several dozen current and former women’s national team players — will share $24 million in payments from the federation, U.S. Soccer.

The bulk of that figure is back pay, a tacit admission that compensation for the men’s and women’s teams had been unequal for years. Perhaps more notable than the payment, though — at least, for the players — is U.S. Soccer’s pledge to equalize pay between the men’s and women’s national teams in all competitions, including the World Cup, in the teams’ next collective bargaining agreements. That gap was once seen as an unbridgeable divide preventing any sort of settlement; if it is closed by the federation in ongoing negotiations with both teams, the change could funnel millions of dollars to a new generation of women’s players.

The settlement is contingent on the ratification of a new contract between U.S. Soccer and the players’ union for the women’s team. When finalized, it will resolve all remaining claims in the gender discrimination lawsuit the players filed in 2019.For U.S. Soccer, the settlement is an expensive end to a yearslong legal fight that had battered its reputation, damaged its ties with sponsors and soured its relationship with some of its most popular stars, including Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Carli Lloyd.

U.S. Soccer was under no obligation to settle with the women’s team; a federal judge in 2020 had dismissed the players’ equal pay arguments, stripping them of nearly all of their legal leverage, and the players’ appeal was not certain to succeed. For that reason, the settlement represents an unexpected victory for the players: Nearly two years after losing in court in one devastating ruling, they were able to extract not only an eight-figure settlement but also a commitment from the federation to enact the very reforms the judge had rejected.

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/22/sports/soccer/uswnt-equal-pay-lawsuit.html

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Long long time coming.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. Hey, you got it. I thought I'd have an exclusive on that.

And good morning.

The U.S. Soccer Federation and dozens of members of the women’s national team who sued it for gender discrimination reached a $24 million settlement agreement

Link to tweet

Women to Get $24 Million From U.S. Soccer in Equal Pay Settlement
The U.S. Soccer Federation and dozens of members of the women’s national team who sued it for gender discrimination reached a $24 million settlement

[BumRushDaShow]

2. LOL

It was a NYT breaking earlier this morning.

Link to tweet

The New York Times
@nytimes
Breaking News: U.S. Soccer and a group of women’s players agreed to a $24 million settlement that included a pledge to equalize pay with the men’s team.
Members of the United States women’s soccer team at the Tokyo Olympics.
nytimes.com
U.S. Soccer and Women’s Players Agree to Settle Equal Pay Lawsuit
Under the terms of the agreement, the athletes will receive $24 million and a pledge from the federation to equalize pay for the men’s and women’s national teams.
6:43 AM · Feb 22, 2022

And good morning!

[iluvtennis]

3. So, so happy for the group of 28 that pursued this lawsuit. And equal pay will be in place for the

current and future players of the NWST.

:clap;