The USWNT won the 2015 World Cup. Just a few months later, they are being sued by their own federation.
The New York Times reported the United States Soccer Federation is suing the Women's National Team to acknowledge the existence of the collective bargaining agreement between the two sides (rather than seeking damages).
Basically, the lawsuit is being brought to determine whether the memorandum of understanding (MOU) that fuctions as the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between US Soccer and the USWNT can be broken at any time or if it must be abided by for the duration of the agreement, which runs through the end of 2016.
The complete statement from US Soccer:
STATEMENT FROM U.S. SOCCER: Earlier today, U.S. Soccer reluctantly filed a lawsuit in federal court in Chicago to confirm the existence of the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that has been in place since 2013 and is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2016.
U.S. Soccer felt it necessary to take this course of action after Richard Nichols, the newly appointed Executive Director of the Women’s National Team Players Association, notified U.S. Soccer that he does not believe there to be a current CBA, a position which would allow the team to take labor actions on and after February 24 – a view inconsistent with the negotiating history and directly contrary to the position of the prior Executive Director who actually negotiated the current agreement.
We are confident the court will confirm the existence and validity of the current CBA, which has been in effect since U.S. Soccer and the Women’s National Team Players Association reached agreement almost three years ago. During that time, U.S. Soccer has complied with all of its obligations included in the CBA.
While unfortunate, we believe taking this action provides the parties with the most efficient path to a resolution, in an effort to not jeopardize the team’s participation in any competitions this year, including the 2016 Olympic Games. Obtaining a prompt resolution on the validity of the current CBA will allow both parties to focus on continuing negotiations in good faith on the next CBA that would start in 2017.
U.S. Soccer is the recognized world leader for the advancement of women’s soccer and is actively engaged in improving the opportunities for young girls playing soccer across the country. We recognize the tremendous value that the Women’s National Team brings to the game of soccer, and we look forward to continuing our work with the players to address their concerns and continuing to help improve the game in the future.
What happened, as far as we can tell, was the USWNT wants new terms for the agreement, and will move to dissolve the current MOU if they win the lawsuit. This would allow them to strike, because there is a "no striking" clauise in the MOU. US Soccer seems to think the USWNT threatened to strike, which their union denied.
Good explainers on the nuts and bolts of the USWNT's CBA can be found here and here. (And here's another one from an actual labor lawyer.)
Contact The18 Staff Writer Sam Klomhaus at Klomhaus@The18.com or follow him on Twitter @SamKlomhaus
