September 8 – The American women’s and men’s national teams have signed their collective bargaining agreements (CBA) with governing body U.S. Soccer, bringing to an end a lengthy battle for equal pay that included a gender discrimination lawsuit that ended in a $24 million settlement.
“I have to give a lot of credit to everyone involved, the women’s national team and their PA (players’ association), the men’s national team and their PA, and everyone at U.S. Soccer,” said U.S. Soccer president Cindy Cone (pictured).
“And it wouldn’t get pushed over the line without the men jumping in and being on board with equal pay.”
Last May, in a historic moment for the game, the teams and the federation reached an agreement that ensured equal pay through identical economic terms, including commercial revenue sharing and World Cup prize money until 2028.
The CBA ends guaranteed salaries for the women’s players and instead pays them at the same rates as the men for achievements. It will also ensure equal playing venues, staffing, charter flights and hotel accommodations. The CBA is remarkable in that it will level World Cup bonuses.
Attending the signing ceremony, U.S. Secretary of Labour Marty Walsh said that the agreement was “a message to the rest of the country that it’s important we respect our workers, we respect our workers’ rights, and everyone should be paid equally for doing the same job as a man.”
“I want to thank all of you guys for the support, all the social media posts, the messages of support, the chants of `Equal Pay’ at really funny times, showing up at our games. You guys make the difference and you are truly, truly the best fans in the world,” said USWNT player Becky Sauerbrunn.
The US Women’s team defeated Nigeria 2-1 in a friendly match this week to mark the occasion.
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