Feinstein Applauds Labor Contract for U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team

Washington-Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement after the women's national soccer team and the U.S. Soccer Federation reached a deal that will result in fair pay for men and women athletes after years of unequal compensation:

"I'm so pleased the women's national soccer team has finally reached a labor agreement that will compensate them fairly for their successes on and off the field.

"The women's team has won four World Cups and four Olympic gold medals and they routinely outperform the men's team in ticket sales. Yet despite their unparalleled success, women team members have been paid less than half that of their male counterparts. This is simply unacceptable.

"Today's labor agreement closes that discriminatory pay gap, most notably by pooling World Cup bonuses that in the past favored the men's team even if they exited the tournament early. It ensures these talented women are finally going to be paid fairly.

"I've been a champion, along with Senator Murray and others, for nearly a decade in this fight for equal rights. I'm proud the United States is the first country to ensure the men's and women's soccer teams are paid fairly, and I hope other nations will follow our lead."

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