USWNT players reached a landmark agreement with the U.S. Soccer Federation’s governing body to end a six-year legal battle over equal pay. The deal promises $24 million, plus bonuses that match those of their male counterparts. On Tuesday, the U.S. Soccer Federation and the women announced a deal that will have players split $22 million, about one-third of what they had sought in damages. The USSF also agreed to establish a fund with $2 million to benefit the players in their post-soccer careers and charitable efforts aimed at growing the sport for women. The USSF committed to providing an equal rate of pay for the women’s and men’s national teams – including World Cup bonuses – subject to collective bargaining agreements with the unions that separately represent the women and men.
Five American stars led by Morgan and Rapinoe began the challenge with a complaint to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in April 2016. The USWNT players sued three years later, seeking damages under the federal Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. 36-year-old midfielder Rapinoe said in an interview with The Associated Press: “For our generation, knowing that we’re going to leave the game in an exponentially better place than when we found it is everything. That’s what it’s all about because, to be honest, there is no justice in all of this if we don’t make sure it never happens again.”
The settlement was a victory for the USWNT players, who sparked fans to chant “Equal Pay!” when they won their second straight title in France in 2019. The USWNT have won four World Cups since the program’s start in 1985, while the men haven’t reached a semifinal since 1930. The union for the women’s team said in a statement: “The settlement announced today is an important step in righting the many wrongs of the past.”
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