The fight over equal pay in soccer in the United States reached a landmark point Tuesday, as a settlement was reached in the lawsuit that was filed by a large number of current and former women’s national team members against U.S. Soccer.
Key points in USWNT settlement:
- Under the terms of the settlement, the players who filed suit will receive $24 million from U.S. Soccer, The New York Times reported.
- Additionally, according to the Times, U.S. Soccer pledged “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.”
- The settlement is contingent on the ratification of a new contract between U.S. Soccer and the players’ union for the women’s team.
What they’re saying about the USWNT settlement:
There was plenty of reaction from players involved in the suit and others about Tuesday’s settlement. Here is a sampling:
It's a historic day for us! It's been years and years of fighting for equality within our sport. Today we accomplished that with US Soccer! https://t.co/hUwJshkr2c
— Alex Morgan (@alexmorgan13) February 22, 2022
When we win, everyone wins!
— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) February 22, 2022
Proud of this historic moment and excited to move forward together with our players to grow soccer and advance opportunities for women and girls around the world. https://t.co/MCFsjZjJdM
— Cindy Cone (@cone_cindy) February 22, 2022
What happens next?
- Steven Bank, a law professor at UCLA who has been following the situation closely, wrote that a key thing to watch moving forward is how “equal pay” is defined by the parties.
The bigger remaining open legal issue is the meaning of the term “equal pay.” An appellate opinion could have helped flesh that out to serve as precedent for future cases in a wide variety of workplaces
— Steven Bank (@ProfBank) February 22, 2022