The United States women’s national team has triggered a legal option in its fight for equal pay.
U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association spokeswoman Molly Levinson confirmed Friday via Twitter the USWNT has appealed the dismissal of 28 players’ equal-pay lawsuit against the United States Soccer Federation.
U.S. District Court Judge R. Gary Klausner dismissed the key part of their suit May 1, prompting players to vow immediately to continue their fight for damages and improved compensation from their national-team employer.
Equal pay means paying women players the same rate for winning a game as men get paid. The argument that women are paid enough if they make close to the same amount as men while winning more than twice as often is not equal pay.
— mollylevinson (@mollylevinson) May 9, 2020
The argument that maternity leave is some sort of substitute for paying women players the same rate for winning as men is not valid, nor fair, nor equal.
— mollylevinson (@mollylevinson) May 9, 2020
The argument that women gave up a right to equal pay by accepting the best collective bargaining agreement possible…in response to the Federation's refusal to put equal pay on the table is not a legitimate reason for continuing to discriminate against them.
— mollylevinson (@mollylevinson) May 9, 2020
Today, we are filing a motion to allow us to appeal immediately the district court’s decision so that the Ninth Circuit will be able to review these claims.
— mollylevinson (@mollylevinson) May 9, 2020
Although Klausner allowed the players’ case for unfair treatment in travel, housing and medical support to go to trial, which is set for June 16 in Los Angeles, he rejected their claim U.S. Soccer underpaid them compared to the U.S. men’s national team due to gender discrimination.
The USWNT players are seeking $66 million in damages under the Equal Pay Act and the players most responsible for back-to-back FIFA Women’s World Cup titles have shows they won’t retreat in the face of a major legal roadblock.
