Skip to main content

The Final Whistle: USWNT’s Equal Pay Lawsuit Ends With $24 Million Settlement


Earlier this morning, it was announced that the USWNT’s equal pay lawsuit that had been filed against the U.S. Soccer Federation has reached a final resolution with a reported $24 million settlement.

Readers might recall that the equal pay lawsuit filed by these soccer players garnered widespread media attention when it was filed back in 2019.  The lawsuit sought back pay totaling around $66 million.  (The lawsuit also included a claim under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  That Title VII claim, which complained of disparate treatment in regard to things such as travel and lodging (in comparison to the USMNT) was previously settled.)

Getting to this stage has been a long haul, including a prior dismissal of the equal pay lawsuit during the summary judgment phase.  U.S. District Court Judge Gary Klausner dismissed the equal pay lawsuit on the grounds that during the period in question, the USWNT actually made more money per game compared to the USMNT.  The USWNT’s request to reinstate the equal pay portion of the lawsuit was set to be heard early next month, but with this settlement, that argument will not take place.

In regard to the specifics here, $22 million of the settlement will go toward the players that joined the lawsuit.  The other $2 million of the settlement will go toward helping players in their post playing careers as well as go toward charitable endeavors meant to help grow the sport among women.  The settlement also includes the U.S. Soccer Federation agreeing to an equal rate of pay for the USMNT and USWNT in all friendlies and tournaments (including the World Cup).

At this point, a few things need to happen before this settlement is finalized.  First, the USWNT will need to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement.  In addition, the Court in which this case is pending will have to approve the settlement.  (For those unfamiliar with cases in federal court, while the parties may agree to a resolution outside of Court, the Judge must still approve the settlement for it to take effect.)

For the time being, however, I would say the final whistle has blown on this case and it should be finalized in the coming months with this $24 million settlement.


For additional information:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/02/22/uswnt-equal-pay-settlement/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NLRB: Discussion Among Employees About Tip Pooling is Protected Concerted Activity

  This Advice Memorandum from the National Labor Relations Board’s Associate General Counsel, Jayme Sophir, addressed whether employees which discussed and complained about tip pooling at work constituted protected concerted activity. In relevant part, an employer in New York operated a chain of steakhouses.  While tip pooling was in place at these steakhouses, some of the employees objected to it on the grounds that it was not transparent and improperly divided tips among the workers.  Employees were told not to complain or talk to each other about the tip pool and were told that doing so would endanger their jobs.  Despite the employer later attempting to provide some clarity as to how the tips were being divided, rancor still existed among some employees.  At one point, the employees were told by a general manager that some employees that had been talking about the tip pool were “cleared out” and the employer would continue to do so. In the Advice Memorandum,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Breaking: Labor Secretary Rumored to Be Leaving Administration

A few hours ago, word leaked out that Labor Secretary Marty Walsh (“Walsh”) is in the midst of negotiations to head up the NHL Players Union and leave his position at the Labor Department. Walsh, who has served as the sole Labor Secretary under President Biden, has taken part in a labor renaissance of sorts as support for organized labor has increased during his term as Labor Secretary (although the number of workers that have joined a union over the past two years has not grown as mush as some expected.)  He has also overseen the ongoing negotiations with rail workers over a new contract, although that matter is still on shaky ground and playing out as we speak. As for who might step into the vacant Labor Secretary role, there are already rumblings that President Biden should nominate Deputy Labor Secretary Julie Su (a strong labor advocate) or even a progressive like Senator Bernie Sanders.  Until Walsh officially gives his notice, however, I would expect some/many potential...
Post a Comment
Read more

San Diego Rolls Back Vaccine Mandate For City Workers

Last Tuesday, the San Diego City Council voted to do away with the vaccine mandate for city employees. The city’s vaccine mandate that was in place required city workers to get the coronavirus vaccine or risk termination.  Perhaps to this surprise of no one, the city’s policy came under fire with 14 employees being terminated and over 100 other employees resigning.  With the coronavirus subsiding, including in Southern California, the San Diego City Council took action. Now, bear in mind, the repeal of the vaccine mandate does not take place immediately. With that being said, the mandate will be repealed March 8th.  I suppose the question now is, what other cities or regions follow San Diego’s lead? For additional information:   https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/story/2023-01-24/san-diego-repeals-controversial-covid-19-vaccine-mandate-citing-drop-in-cases-hospitalizations
Post a Comment
Read more