August 16 – The proposed $24 million equal pay settlement between the US women’s national team players and the US Soccer Federation has been given a preliminary thumbs up by a federal judge, who scheduled a December 5 hearing for final approval.
The settlement agreed in February brought to an end a protracted legal dispute between the two parties when US Soccer agreed to pay a lump sum in back pay to the players, to be split into individual amounts
In addition, the settlement called for the federation to establish a fund of $2 million to benefit the players in their post-football careers and charitable efforts aimed at growing the sport.
Late last week, US District Judge R. Gary Klausner granted the motion by the players to approve the terms
“Most significantly, the unopposed settlement agreement accomplishes the plaintiffs’ goal for litigation: equal pay,” he wrote. “The court is satisfied that the settlement is a fair and reasonable resolution.”
The feud dates back to 2016 where five players – Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Megan Rapinoe and Becky Sauerbrunn – filed a federal wage discrimination complaint claiming they were paid four times less than their male counterparts
Molly Levinson, spokeswoman for the US women, commented: “We are pleased that the court granted preliminary approval for the historic equal pay resolution today and we look forward to celebrating this hard-fought victory for women and girls at the final hearing in December.”
“Our work has only just begun, because there are too many workplaces in the world where women are valued and paid less than men for doing the same work. We won’t stop fighting for what is fair, right and equal.”
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