Players for the World Cup-winning US women’s national team on Wednesday said that mediation talks with the US Soccer Federation (USSF) in their dispute over equal pay are over.
Molly Levinson, who represents the players in matters concerning the dispute, said in a statement that the players look forward to a jury trial.
“We entered this week’s mediation with representatives of USSF full of hope,” Levinson said. “Today we must conclude these meetings sorely disappointed in the federation’s determination to perpetuate fundamentally discriminatory workplace conditions and behavior.”
The federation said it had hoped to reach a resolution, but accused the counsel for the players of “an aggressive and ultimately unproductive approach.”
“We value our players and have continually shown that by providing them with compensation and support that exceeds any other women’s team in the world,” the federation said in a statement.
The players in March sued the USSF for institutionalized gender discrimination that includes inequitable compensation when compared with their counterparts on the men’s national team.
The federation countered that pay and benefits for members of the men’s and women’s teams, bargained by separate unions, cannot be compared and said that there was no basis for allegations of illegal conduct.
The two sides agreed to mediate the matter once the Women’s World Cup in France was over. The US beat the Netherlands to win the title last month, and afterward fans in the crowd chanted “Equal pay.”
USSF president Carlos Cordeiro wrote federation members late last month claiming that the women’s team was paid more overall than the men’s team between 2010 and last year.
The letter stated that the federation paid out US$34.1 million in salary and game bonuses to the women as opposed to US$26.4 million paid to the men over the period.
The total did not include the value of benefits received only by the women, such as healthcare, Cordeiro wrote.
The players have disputed the figures, claiming they are misleading.
“It is clear that USSF, including its board of directors and president Carlos Cordeiro, fully intend to continue to compensate women players less than men. They will not succeed,” Levinson said on Wednesday. “We want all of our fans, sponsors, peers around the world and women everywhere to know we are undaunted and will eagerly look forward to a jury trial.”
The USSF in turn took a swipe at Levinson.
“Despite inflammatory statements from their spokesperson, which are intended to paint our actions inaccurately and unfairly, we are undaunted in our efforts to continue discussions in good faith,” the statement said.
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