US women players sue US Soccer for $24 million
Women’s soccer players have reached a historic agreement with the sport’s US governing body to end a six-year legal battle over equal pay, a deal that promised $24 million plus bonuses commensurate with men’s pay.
The US Soccer and Women’s Association announced a deal on Tuesday that would split the players into $22 million, about a third of what they sought for damages. The USSR Football Association also approved the creation of a fund in the amount of $ 2 million for the benefit of players in their career after football and charitable efforts aimed at the development of women’s sports.
The Soviet Football Union committed itself to providing an equal rate of wages to women’s and men’s national teams – including World Cup bonuses – according to collective bargaining agreements with unions representing women and men separately.
“For our generation, knowing we’re going to leave the game in a much better place than it was when we found it all,” said 36-year-old midfielder Megan Rapinoe, during a phone interview with The Associated Press. “That’s it because, frankly, there is no justice in all of this if we don’t make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
The settlement was a victory for the players, who encouraged the crowd to chant “Equal Pay!” When they won their second consecutive title in France in 2019. It was a success for USA FA President, Cindy Barlow Cohn, a former player who took over the FA President in March 2020.
Kuhn replaced Carlos Cordero, who resigned after the federation filed a legal claim that women had less physical ability and responsibility than their male counterparts.
“This is just one step towards rebuilding the relationship with the women’s team. I think this is a great achievement and I am excited about the future and working with them,” said Kuhn. “We can now shift the focus to other things and, most importantly, grow the game at all levels and increase opportunities for girls and women.” .”
American women have won four World Cups since the program began in 1985, while men have not reached the semi-finals since 1930.
Five American stars led by Morgan and Rapinoe began the challenge to file a complaint with the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in April 2016. The women filed a lawsuit three years later, seeking damages under the federal Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
The two sides settled the working conditions portion in December 2020, dealing with issues such as charter flights, accommodation and playing surfaces. They were scheduled to debate on March 7 in the United States’ Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in an attempt to return the portion of equal pay that a U.S. District Court had rejected.
“The settlement announced today is an important step in correcting the many mistakes of the past,” the women’s national team union said in a statement.
While a business contract to replace the deal that expires on March 31 has yet to be found and ratified, the settlement was a massive step.
“It gives us great pleasure to feel like we can begin to mend a relationship with US Soccer that was severed for many years due to the discrimination we faced,” said Morgan, the 32-year-old striker. “To finally get to this moment, it seems we can almost sigh a breath of relief.”
The players were able to put off legal distractions to continue being successful on the pitch.
“The extra hours, the stress, the external pressures, the discrimination we face, I mean sometimes you think why did I give birth to a female?” Morgan’s proposal. “Then sometimes you think how amazing it is to be able to fight for something you already believe in and stand by these women. … There was something more than just stepping onto the field and wanting to be a key player or wanting to score goals or The desire to win or the desire to obtain glory.”
The $22 million will be divided into individual amounts suggested by players, subject to district court approval.
Kuhn said the federation’s approach to the World Cup rewards equation had yet to be determined. The federation so far has bonus payments from FIFA, which allocated $400 million for the 2018 men’s tournament, including $38 million for the French championship, and $30 million for the 2019 women’s tournament, including $4 million for the American champion.
The American men were playing under CBA terms that expired in December 2018.
Rapinoe has criticized both Cordero and his predecessor, Sunil Gulati, who presided over the Soviet Union from 2006 to 2018. Cordero seeks to regain the position from Kuhn when the National Assembly of the Soviet Union meets on March 5 to vote on a four-year term.
“The thing Cindy did was admit what was wrong and apologize for what was wrong,” Rapinoe said. “It was well within Sunil’s ability not to discriminate and pay us fairly and equally. It was well within Carlos’s ability to do that, and they made choices not to. … I think Cindy showed a lot of strength in that, and I think the other two, Honestly, they just showed a lot of weakness and really showed their true colors in letting this happen for so long.”
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