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United States women’s national soccer team (USWNT) captain and one of the most prominent voices of equal pay, Megan Rapinoe, vowed to continue her fight towards “EQUALITY” after a US court dismissed the plea for pay parity.
Taking to her official Twitter handle, Rapinoe wrote, “We will never stop fighting for EQUALITY.”
We will never stop fighting for EQUALITY.
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— Megan Rapinoe (@mPinoe) May 2, 2020
The USWNT’s lawsuit for equal pay was dismissed in a 32-page ruling by Judge Gary Klausner of the US District Court for Central California in Los Angeles. The judge argued that the women’s team’s claims of pay discrimination were insufficient to warrant a trial.
The USWNT players – who have won four FIFA World Cups in comparison to zero by the men’s team – were left shocked and disappointed as they had demanded a back pay of USD 66 million under the Equal Pay Act.
Molly Levinson, a spokesperson of the USWNT players fighting the legal battle, said they were “shocked and disappointed” but pledged to continue with their case and their commitment for equal pay.
“We are shocked and disappointed with today’s decision, but we will not give up our hard work for equal pay. We are confident in our case and steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that girls and women who play this sport will not be valued as lesser just because of their gender,” Levinson said in a series of Tweets.
“We have learned that there are tremendous obstacles to change; we know that it takes bravery and courage and perseverance to stand up to them. We will appeal and press on. Words cannot express our gratitude to all who support us,” she added.
Judge Klausner dismissed the plea by USWNT on the back of the evidence which stated that the women had previously turned down an offer in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations to be paid along the riskier lines of the pay-to-play structure of the US men’s team.
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