U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Soccer Teams sign ceremonious collective bargaining agreements

Following the United States Women’s National Soccer Team’s (USWNT) game against Nigeria Tuesday night, members of the team joined by members of the United States Men’s National Team and members of Congress sat down on the field to formally sign their collective bargaining agreement.

The terms and conditions of the agreement were decided on back in May, but Tuesday’s ceremonial signing was hard-earned for the women who fought to make it happen. With handshakes and passionate speeches made, it was fitting the event took place on Audi Field in the heart of Washington, the nation’s capital.

In 2016 the USWNT filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming unequal pay and treatment. Tensions continued to rise between the team and U.S. Soccer as sexist arguments were made from the federation claiming female players were inferior to men even though the success of the USWNT showed differently.

U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro apologized publicly following a show of disdain from the team when they warmed up for a game with their shirts turned inside out in order to hide the logo of the organization who did not seem to support them. Cordeiro resigned as the president and former USWNT player Cindy Parlow Cone stepped in as president.

In February 2022, the class action lawsuit filed in 2019 by members of the team was settled for $24 million with the settlement to be split amongst past and present players. At halftime on Tuesday, Parlow Cone was interviewed by ESPN and shared her experience.

“There were so many ups and downs. It was like a roller-coaster ride. I [would] think we were getting close to a deal, and then it feels like it’s falling apart, then we’re getting closer to a deal and it’s falling apart.”

U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh was on location to represent President Joe Biden. He applauded the women, who were donning scarves emblazoned with their Players’ Association logo instead of the federation logo, saying, “a message to the rest of the country that it’s important we respect our workers, we respect our workers’ rights, and everyone should be paid equally for doing the same job as a man.”

Perhaps the most impactful speech came from two-time USWNT captain, Becky Sauerbrunn, who was one of the players to spearhead the movement.

“I want to thank the players past and present for our persistence and basically never shying away from asking the question, ‘Why not? I think us players really knew we were on the right track when we started attracting some of the most brilliant minds in their fields to our cause.”

The USWNT planned to make an impact by filing that lawsuit three years ago. They didn’t just want to make an impact in the U.S., they wanted it to be a worldwide movement. So far, their plan has been successful. Since the fight began, other nations around the world have begun to put their own equal pay agreements into place. Sweden’s men’s national team gave up some of their own wages to make sure their female counterparts were paid the same.

The USWNT has been ranked number one in the world on the soccer pitch, and now, the team has one more thing to add to their resume with this historic event taking place.