The Federal Court’s ruling in the women’s football team suit against the American Football Federation brought great disappointment to girls. Female players led by captain Meghan Rapinoe and striker Alex Morgan have sued the USSF. They claimed that they were not being paid fairly under their collective bargaining agreement with what the men’s soccer team received.
Here, the role of collective bargaining is very important in this case. The player associations representing women‘s and men’s teams have negotiated various collective bargaining agreements with the USSF.
The two collective bargaining agreements envisage different remuneration schemes. Women’s team players are compensated largely through guarantees, with additional opportunities for modest bonuses. In contrast, men’s team players are guaranteed less money but they can earn more attractive bonuses.
However, the female team player said that this way of paying two systems has led to inequality. The women’s team insists they have made a lot less despite achieving more on the pitch. The women’s team has won four of the eight FIFA World Cup titles, while the men’s team has never reached the World Cup final.
The women’s team players stated that they receive lower bonuses than the men’s team players in friendly matches. Matches related to the World Cup and other leagues. They also announced details of how much money they would receive if they were to be compensated under the same terms as the men’s team player.
So, as Mr. Klausner affirmed, the women’s team is at fault because they have agreed to a collective bargaining agreement. In addition, he said that the women’s team seems to make more than the men’s team.
At the same time, the two sides can negotiate to come to a final agreement. True, the USSF seems to dominate, but they will also have to be more cautious when their reputation and brand are affected. In short, a mediation agreement is still better than avoiding confrontations with famous female players
