Wed, 12/02/2020
Even champions must fight for equal rights. On March 8, 2019, iconic women’s soccer players Alex Morgan (#13), Megan Rapinoe (#15), Carlie Lloyd (#10), and twenty-four other world champions filed a class action against the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of former and current players on the U.S. Women’s National Team (WNT). They alleged broad illegal discrimination based on sex under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act as well as the Equal Pay Act, citing unequal working conditions, unequal support and promotion by the USSF, and unequal pay as compared to the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (MNT).
On December 1, 2020, the class members filed a proposed settlement to some of their claims, marking a great stride forward in reaching parity between men’s and women’s professional soccer. The settlement provides that WNT members shall have equal implementation of several policies that have long been observed for the MNT: a charter flight policy ensuring that USSF will provide an equal number of charter flights to both teams; a venue selection policy ensuring that the USSF selects top-tier venues for WNT matches, and that those matches be played on grass in almost all circumstances. Additionally, USSF shall apply specific policies for hotel selections during WNT member travel, the settlement mandating that USSF maintain comparable budgets for top-quality hotels for WNT stays. Finally, the settlement sets out new structural changes in order to dedicate between 18 and 21 operational and technical support staff for each team, including a physician team to be comprised of a lead physician and a pool of two to five more.
The members’ claims alleging pay discrimination under the Equal Pay Act remain and may be revived upon appeal before the Ninth Circuit in the coming months.
For more information about your right to be free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in the workplace, please visit MSE’s #meToo in the Workplace at https://www.mselaborlaw.com/practice-areas/metoo-in-the-workplace.
