Players on the U.S. Women’s National Soccer team have settled some of the claims the group made in its Equal Pay Act lawsuit against U.S. Soccer Federation, the national governing body for the sport. The settlement resolves issues related to working conditions that are alleged to be less favorable than those made available or provided to members of the men’s national team.

The settlement does not address the overarching allegations of pay discrimination and unequal pay due to sex, claims that were dismissed in May 2020 by a federal district court judge and which will soon be appealed by the plaintiffs to 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. (The court, in effect, stayed the trial and appeal process due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) The women’s players had sought up to $67 million in alleged back pay.

The settlement resolves issues related to travel and hotel accommodations, playing conditions, and support services. U.S. Soccer and the USWNT Players Association intend to incorporate these changes into their collective bargaining agreement.

The players will play in “top-tier” stadiums and on grass “in nearly all circumstances.” The plaintiffs have argued that poorer playing conditions increase the risk of significant and potentially career-threatening injuries. A team of dedicated physicians, as well as nearly two dozen “operational and technical support service professionals.” will now be assigned to the women’s team pursuant to the terms of the settlement.

U.S. Soccer will also provide the women’s team an equal number of charter flights and a travel budget comparable to that of the men’s team and will assure the players stay in “top-quality hotels.”

The crux of the players’ claims is that the men’s national team players are paid more money than the women’s national team players. Both the men and the women players are paid in accordance with the collective bargaining agreements their respective unions negotiated with U.S. Soccer. The men are paid on a pay-for-play basis, factoring in appearances and performance, with no guaranteed player income. The women’s contract includes guaranteed salaries and other benefits, such as child care and severance.

U.S. Soccer has said it offered the USWNT Players Association a contract similar to that of the men’s, but the union has rejected the offer.

However, the pool of money that would be available to the women’s team – using the same formula as in the men’s contract – would yield lower pay to the women players compared with the men because the men’s revenue pool is filled with distributable funds derived from the men’s FIFA World Cup, which dwarfs the funds provided by the women’s World Cup.

That the union agreed to different compensation terms than the men was the principle reason the lawsuit was dismissed. The Equal Pay Act prohibits men and women from being paid differently “on the basis of sex” with exceptions that include “a differential based on any other factor other than sex.” The women’s collective bargaining agreement can be such a differential.

Jackson Lewis’ Collegiate and Professional Sports Practice Group will continue to monitor and report on the status of this case and the 9th Circuit appeal during the weeks and months ahead. Please feel free to reach out to any member of the Collegiate and Professional Sports Practice Group with questions.

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Photo of Patrick L. Egan Patrick L. Egan

Patrick L. Egan is a principal in the Boston, Massachusetts, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Patrick works in traditional labor law.

He has assisted employers in all industries in all phases of union organizing campaigns. Patrick has represented employers in card-signing efforts and…

Patrick L. Egan is a principal in the Boston, Massachusetts, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Patrick works in traditional labor law.

He has assisted employers in all industries in all phases of union organizing campaigns. Patrick has represented employers in card-signing efforts and representation and decertification campaigns. He has conducted union awareness and positive employee relations training for hundreds of companies and employer groups. He has also assisted dozens of employers to preempt, prepare for and defend against union corporate campaigning.

Patrick has appeared for employers in representation, objections and challenged ballot hearings at the National Labor Relations Board. He has also represented employers in unfair labor practice charge investigations and trials. Patrick has also represented employers before the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and other state and federal agencies. Patrick has served as chief spokesman at hundreds of collective bargaining negotiations, including negotiations seeking a first contract and those aimed at reaching a successor contract. He speaks frequently before various employer and human resources groups on a variety of labor relations topics.

Patrick was a four-year starter and a senior captain of the varsity soccer team at Holy Cross.

After practicing management-side labor law at smaller firms in Springfield and Boston, Massachusetts, Patrick joined Jackson Lewis in 1990. He was elected a partner effective January 1, 1995.

Photo of Gregg E. Clifton Gregg E. Clifton

Gregg E. Clifton is a Principal in the Phoenix, Arizona, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He is Co-Leader of the Collegiate and Professional Sports Practice Group and serves as the editor of the firm’s sports law blog.

Mr. Clifton has extensive experience in…

Gregg E. Clifton is a Principal in the Phoenix, Arizona, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He is Co-Leader of the Collegiate and Professional Sports Practice Group and serves as the editor of the firm’s sports law blog.

Mr. Clifton has extensive experience in the collegiate and professional sports world. He has advised numerous professional franchises on general labor and employment issues, including Title III ADA regulatory compliance and wage and hour issues. He serves as lead counsel for several Major League Baseball teams in their salary arbitration matters and has represented NCAA and NAIA collegiate clients regarding rules compliance, investigatory matters and in disciplinary hearings. In addition, he has handled Title IX investigations and compliance issues for NCAA and NAIA member institutions. Mr. Clifton has also worked extensively in the area of agent regulation and enforcement in professional and college sports and regularly provides counsel on issues relating to NCAA and NAIA amateurism issues and athlete eligibility questions. He has also served as an expert witness in matters involving sports agents’ work and responsibilities, as well as athlete compensation issues.

Prior to joining Jackson Lewis, he spent six years as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Team Sports for Gaylord Sports Management. He also served as President of the Athlete and Entertainment Division for famed sports attorney Bob Woolf’s firm, Woolf Associates, in Boston.

Mr. Clifton began his career as an Associate at Jackson Lewis where he focused his practice on traditional labor law. He continues to counsel clients in the areas of collective bargaining negotiations, representation cases, arbitrations and National Labor Relations Board matters.

Mr. Clifton frequently serves as an expert speaker to law schools, including Harvard University, Boston College, Hofstra University and Arizona State University, and bar associations regarding sports law issues, including agent regulation and salary arbitration. He is also often cited as an expert source in national news media for his commentary and opinion on legal issues in sports.