Big win for US women’s soccer team
Keeping an eye on the world of sports during the pandemic:
U.S. women’s national team players and the U.S. Soccer Federation settled their longrunning lawsuit over inequitable working conditions with the men’s team while leaving their dispute over unequal pay for additional litigation.
The parties filed a redacted public notice of the settlement with the federal court in Los Angeles on Tuesday while providing the complete agreement to U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner. The deal with the world champion American women and the sport’s U.S. governing body calls for charter flights, hotel accommodations, venue selection and professional staff support equitable to that of the men’s national team.
Players sued the USSF in March 2019 claiming they haven’t been paid equitably under their collective bargaining agreement compared to the men’s team, which failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. The women asked for more than $66 million in damages under the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Klausner dismissed the pay claim in May, ruling the women rejected a pay-to-play structure like the men’s agreement and accepted greater base salaries and benefits.
But Klausner allowed aspects of their allegations of discriminatory working conditions to be put to trial. Those issue were settled, and players may now ask the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to restore the wage claims.
“We are pleased that the USWNT players have fought for — and achieved — long overdue equal working conditions,” players’ spokeswoman Molly Levinson said. “We now intend to file our appeal, which does not account for the central fact in this case that women players have been paid at lesser rates than men who do the same job.
“We remain as committed to our work to achieve the equal pay that we legally deserve. Our focus is on ... ensuring we leave the game a better place for the next generation of women who will play for this team and this country.”
THE QUOTE
“... If she’s our best option, we’ll continue to work with her and we’ll do the best we can for the team.”
— Vanderbilt interim football coach Todd Fitch on Sarah Fuller, who remained the only placekicker on the team’s roster after becoming the first woman to make an appearance in a Power 5 game
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THE NUMBER
The Ravens didn’t have any players test positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, ending a streak of nine days in a row with at least one player testing positive and clearing the way for the team to travel to Pittsburgh for Wednesday afternoon’s game against the unbeaten Steelers.
The AFC North showdown had been postponed three times due to the recent virus outbreak on the Ravens.