USWNT CBA

I'm really happy at this; it seems to bring the whole shebang essentially into line with US labor law.

I could probably convince myself that I could arrange some of the details better-- but the size of the step is so large that let's just get used to the new reality and pick nits later on. I'm particularly pleased with the provision for child care for the men, as I imagine it implies that parental leave will show up there someday as well.

But the overall thrust of the thing seems great on all different fronts that have generated complaints-- and I did not think all of it could get addressed in one step, frankly. Good on 'em...

 

Like I said earlier, I am surprised that the two teams came together for this, but I also think both teams are coming out ahead. I think if someone really dug into this, the men are coming out ahead as well. I don't know as much about the men's previous CBA's, but I'm pretty sure they got a lower percentage of prize money in the past, and they're going to benefit from the commercial revenue sharing as well (that's a new thing for both teams). And, that's an annual thing, not just every 4 years.

The men have always relied less than the women on the NT money, and that's even more true for them nowadays with the salaries some receive for club (I mean, a few players now make over $1 million/yr in MLS.). The narrative changes if the WWC prize money increases enough to where the women's team start contributing more to the pot than the men because of the women's results (We know the WNT are likely not going to go out early, and while the men could make a deep run, that's not a guarantee). If FIFA continues to increase the WWC pot, that's not out of the realm of possibility even within the 5-year timeframe of this CBA.

What I'm saying is both NT's benefit. The loser here is probably USSF's grassroots programs. But, the grassroots programs also benefit when both NT's are successful and pushing the game forward.

Agreed. The women are going to probably be making more, not only based on their better results, but because the WNT often play more games each year than the MNT. Historically, also the women's pool was much smaller with most of the women playing and getting the bonuses for almost every game in a year (very few MNT players play in every single NT game in a year). I think that will change, at least somewhat, with guaranteed salaries going by the wayside.

 

I have to wonder now if USSF and the WNT players for that matter will see less need to play as many games.

 

FIFA has more international dates for the women's side, so I would guess they will continue to fill those with matches. There are TV contract factors in this as well--for example those recent Uzbekistan games were necessary to fill a TV obligation in a FIFA window. A stronger opponent fell through, but they had to find somebody.

There have been years where the MNT played more than the WNT. 2013 and 2017 they did, which makes sense as the men had World Cup qualifying and a Gold Cup, while the women had no official competitions.

 

CBA to signed on Sept. 6 after the USWNT game with some fanfare:

The CBA will be signed post-game on the field on Sept. 6 by USSF President @cone_cindy and our officers: @beckysauerbrunn ,@Cdunn19 , @sammymewy and @beccaroux . Several members of the US Congress and other dignitaries are expected to attend the historic event.

— USWNT Players (@USWNTPlayers) August 26, 2022

 

To tie the bow on this thread: the WNT have signed the new CBA.

The Captain is speaking. 🎤 pic.twitter.com/neuHkTNHSi

— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) September 7, 2022

 

Thanks for posting this. Wonderful remarks.

 

I haven't read it all yet, but posting it here for future reference: the full CBA document.

 

Going through the CBA and highlighting the key points and/or what I think is interesting, so get ready for some long post(s).

--CBA term through December 31, 2028
--no strike/no lockout clause, as expected
--PA membership extended to all players who complete 30 days of employment with the team (except for players who maintain college eligibility)
--There will be at least 23 players named to each roster, except where a competition's rules dictate a different number.
--Professional staff between the WNT and MNT should be equitable with flexibility for each team's requirements. The minimum staff requirements for the WNT are 1 physician, 2 athletic trainers (3 if more than 20 players), 1 physical therapist, and 3 massage therapists. These staff should be present for all days of camp. 1 Athletic trainer and 1 physical therapist are to be employed full-time by USSF.
--The permissible range of professional staff support positions is 22-24 people, including all coaching staff, high performance staff, management, and medical staff. It does not include chefs, nannies, security, and communications staff.
--Staff and players will all receive annual training on anti-harassment policies, and USSF will maintain multiple avenues for the players to report violations. USSF must, within 24 hours, report any violation that they receive to the SafeSport director or an HR staff.
--It is specified that no meeting between a player and federation employee should take place in a hotel bedroom, and most should be in a hotel lobby, public space, or office.
--Players will be provided an annual physical examination, including an eye exam. In such examinations or in any situation where a player must remove clothing (such as a massage or medical evaluation), privacy will be provided in a room with walls, not curtains, whenever practical (e.g. not practical would be on the sideline). Additionally in such situations, an observer will be made available, at the request of a player, and cannot include coaching or technical staff.
--There is a clause specifying when and how a player's medical information can be shared by medical staff to coaching or performance staff. Another clause specifies how non-clinical medical information, such as for research, can be used as well as having a clause on how information from sensors that players wear will be used.
--The players are required to fill out a daily wellness check on an app. Through the same app, the players also submit to weekly medical monitoring. (The MNT players do not do this since this usually goes through their clubs.)

 

lil_one: Thanks so much for this detailed report on the CBA. This is extremely valuable and helpful.

 

More highlights from the CBA, continued (scheduling info; that pertaining to this next year is bolded):

--USSF shall schedule at least 13 games annually for the WNT or the maximum number of matches (not including official competitions) permitted by the FIFA calendar.
--If USSF fails to meet the above number of matches in a given camp, players will be paid at the rate of a win against a Tier 1 opponent for each match not held in that FIFA window. If a game could not be played due to a lack of availability of the opponent or impact of international travel in a FIFA window, the pay will be commiserate with a win against a Tier 2 opponent. USSF is released from the above payment requirement if the matches could not be played due to circumstances outside of USSF's control, such as a pandemic (yes, it's specified), war, act of God, etc.
--USSF will make a "good faith effort" to minimize the number of club games players miss due to games outside of FIFA windows.
--USSF and the PA will meet quarterly to discuss scheduling of WNT activities. In the second quarter's meeting, they will meet to agree upon a WNT camp schedule for the following year, including camps outside of FIFA windows.
--USSF will provide a January camp each year of this CBA, to be held for at least 10 days and not more than 14 days. For 2023, this camp has already been scheduled for January 9-23.
--For 2023, SheBelieves camp will be February 6-22. In subsequent Olympic or WWC years, SheBelieves camp will start a max of 7 days before the FIFA window. In non-WWC or Olympic years, the camp can start a maximum of 4 days before the FIFA window.
--For 2023, the WWC camp can begin no earlier than June 26. Subsequently, Olympic and WWC camps can start at least 7 days but not more than 21 days before the FIFA window.
--For 1st place in the Olympics or WWC, a victory tour will take place in the FIFA window immediately following the competition with the same roster that appeared in the tournament (only to be replaced by other players if a player is not available). Any victory tour game is treated as a Tier 1 opponent, regardless of the ranking of the opponent.
--If the WNT had been required to play in the play-in tournament for the Olympics (by failing to win CONCACAF WCQ) in the FIFA window immediately following the WWC, there would have been no victory tour.
--Players are not paid for closer-door matches, and USSF cannot plan more than 1 closed-door match without discussion with the PA.
--Players shall have at least six weeks rest with no federation commitments after the November/December FIFA dates before January camp.
--USSF shall work with clubs to try to provide players with at least 7 days rest after a major tournament before a player must report to their club.
--For camps longer than 10 days, the players will have at least 1 rest day (no trainings or meetings). For camps longer than 14 days, except during major tournaments, there will be 2 rest days. For camps longer than 20 days, there will be 1 rest day for every 7 days of camp, except during WWC, Olympics, or WCQ tournaments.
--USSF can hold a player identification camp in the winter rest window with players who have not been in more than 2 camps in that year.
--All players invited to camp will be informed at least 12 days before the travel day for that camp.
--A tentative daily camp schedule is to be provided to the PA at least 3 weeks before camp begins (they will provide that schedule to the players when the player is invited to camp). The updated daily schedule should be provided 1 week before camp.
--There is an approved venue listed in the document, so I won't list those here, but every match should be held at an approved venue, a 2026 MWC venue, OR a natural-grass surface venue used by MLS or NWSL with a seating capacity of at least 15,000. A venue with artificial turf can be used if agreed upon by the PA and inspected by federation staff for safety and suitability.
--Training in camps with games that USSF controls shall also be on natural grass surfaces unless the PA agrees to artificial turf.
--In camps of official tournaments, USSF will request from the tournament organizer that training should be on natural grass, except in tournaments to be held on artificial turf.
--In away matches, USSF will request that all matches and trainings will be held on natural grass. If training is to be held on artificial turf or temporary natural grass, USSF officials will inspect the surface for its safety prior to training.

 

Okay, this is getting much longer than I anticipated. I'll try to be more picky with what I include! This post covers travel, hotels, apparel, and media availability.

--On travel, USSF asks players for their seat preference annually. (aisle or window)
--USSF will provide direct flights, when available.
--Federation staff member (other than the head coach) should never have a more premium seat than a player.
--USSF provided tickets must be upgradeable so that a player can upgrade at their own expense if they choose.
--For US domestic flights lasting 2 hours or more, a seat in business class or higher will be provided. For a domestic flight of less than 2 hours, a seat in economy premium or its equivalent will be provided.
--For international travel, a business class ticket or its equivalent when available will be purchased.
--USSF will provide an equal number of charter flights to the MNT and WNT over a 4-year period.
--For team travel within a camp (from one match to another), USSF will provide a charter flight or business-class tickets when available with the preference that the team all travel together.
--On a per-night, per-person basis, USSF will maintain comparable hotel budgets between the MNT and WNT.
--USSF will provide single rooms for players, unless a player requests a double room.
--USSF has a limited number of "back-pocket rooms" to be used for quarantining if players are not in single rooms.
--USSF and the PA prepare a list of preferred hotels every 4 years. In some cases (away matches, CONCACAF tournaments), USSF has little to no input on hotel arrangements, but they will make every effort to ensure that the hotels are appropriate.
--If a hotel/camp venue is outside of a city, 5 vans will be provided for the players' use in camp. If a camp is inside a city, the number of vans will be discussed with the PA. In camps with 26-30 players, 6 vans will be provided. For more than 30 players, 7 vans will be provided.
--All players are to be in uniform or team-issued apparel for all events designated as team attire, such as matches, trainings, team travel, meetings, team meals , media events, etc. (Not all meals and meetings are designated as requiring team attire.) Players can only wear attire prominently branded with a competing brand of a sponsor when receiving medical treatment, in their rooms, or during non-working time. Players can carry handbags or totes of a competing sponsor. Personal luggage can also be of a competing sponsor but cannot outwardly be prominently branded.
--Players may wear shoes, shin guards, and goalie gloves of their choice, even if of a competing brand to the sponsor.
--Players can keep one game-worn jersey after each match.
--There are rules around media availability and equitable sharing of those duties among players in camps, but I'm not going to list them all here.
--There is also a clause about Content Creation and Content sessions (such as for US Soccer YouTube videos). The clause limits the players' availability for those sessions. For an additional WWC Content Session, participating players can be paid a production fee of $10,000 with that amount deducted from the WC prize money for the WNT players.

 

And now the nitty gritty. A post covering pay/compensation:

--Per diems in 2022 and 2023: per diems are provided on each day of camp and each travel day into and out of camp. For domestic venues, the per diem in 2022 is $90. For international venues, the per diem is $108. Upon player request, per diems will be provided as a cash advance during camp. Otherwise, they are provided through payroll.
--For each day where 1 meal is not provided by US Soccer, $59 of the per diem is a net amount (not subject to tax withholding), aka "meal money".
--For friendlies (including domestic tournaments), $8000/game is the roster appearance fee. The performance bonus fee is as follows:
Rank 1-25 (plus Mex/Can) win: $10,000
Rank 1-25 (plus Mex/Can) draw: $3,000
Rank 1-25 (plus Mex/Can) loss: $0
Rank 26+ win: $5000
Rank 26+ draw: $2000
Rank 26+ loss: $0
--For non-WC official competitions (Olympics, W Gold Cup, Olympic qualifying, etc.), the roster appearance fee is $10,000 plus a $12,000 win bonus, $4000 draw bonus, and $0 bonus for a loss.
--For FIFA WC qualifying, the roster appearance fee is $10,000 plus $14,000 win bonus, $4000 draw bonus, and $0 performance bonus for a loss.
--For WWC games, the roster appearance fee is $10,000 with no performance bonus outside of the prize purse.
--For winning the 2022 SheBelieves tournament, each player received a $10,000 bonus.
--For players who are invited into camp but not roster for a match, they are compensated at the applicable roster appearance fee rate as a "non-roster appearance fee." (The rules surrounding this and days in camp is spelled out in the CBA.)
--Beginning in 2023, players shall be paid a portion of USSF's commercial revenue. For $55,000,000-$75,000,000 net commercial revenue (after expense recapture deductions), 10% is paid to each of the national teams. For more than $75,000,000, 15% is paid to each of the teams. Again, the rules about what is and is not included here is spelled out in the CBA.
--For players maintaining college availability, their compensation shall be made to the One Nation fund.
--In cases where a 23 player roster is required (e.g. USSF-controlled matches) and a player named to the roster is not able to play and USSF does not replace the player, that player is paid as if they played in the match. If USSF does replace said player, the player is paid the "non-roster appearance fee."
--USSF pays an attendance bonus of $3.00 per paid ticket for each USSF-controlled game into a PA bank account. This bonus increases to $5.06/ticket in 2023-2026 and to $5.75/ticket in 2027. Additionally, there is a sell-out bonus of 10% of the average ticket price times the number of tickets sold.
--For non-FIFA WC prize money, USSF shall pay 70% of the prize money to the participant team unless both the MNT and WNT participated in the same tournament (e.g. Gold Cup and W Gold Cup) in which case that money will be pooled and shared equally.
--For FIFA WC/WWC prize money, USSF will pay 90% of the prize money for qualification and advancement in the WC's to rostered players to be pooled and shared equally. If a team fails to qualify for the WC, 90% of the prize money for the team that qualified will be paid only to the team that qualified without pooling and sharing to the non-qualified team. Beginning in 2026, 80% of the prize money for the WC's will be pooled and shared.
--For the Olympics specifically, in addition to the roster and performance bonuses above, rostered Olympic players will receive a $12,000 bonus for a bronze medal, $24,000 bonus for silver, and $36,000 bonus for a gold Olympic medal.

 

Thank you for this summary.

Do you (or does anyone) know whether the USMNT CBA is available, and are all of these terms equal in all regards?

 

And on to benefits:

--Players can hire their own childcare provider for children in camp up to 5 years of age, with a maximum of 3 childcare providers subsidized by USSF at a rate of $50/child/day in addition to the childcare provider's accommodations and travel. If there are more than 3 childcare providers in more than 2 camps or if children become disruptive to team activities, the PA will meet with USSF to alleviate concerns.
--Children under 18 months will travel as a lap infant with players having the freedom to pay for a seat for that child at their own expense. USSF will pay for economy tickets for children 18 months-5 years of age again with players having the freedom to upgrade at their own expense.
--In months when school is out of session, USSF will also pay for the travel (economy class) for children 6-10 years old. However, generally older children or their childcare providers (paid at players' expense) will not be allowed to attend private team activities.
--USSF will match 401(k) contributions up to 5% of player's compensation.
--USSF also maintains workers' compensation insurance for the players.
--For 2022, USSF designated 27 "benefit players" from the 2021 list of contracted players and May 31, 2022 list of contracted players.
--For 2023 and beyond, USSF (at the head coach's discretion) will designate 23 "benefit players" for each year by Nov. 15. Players have until Nov. 30 to accept the offer.
--USSF will continue to pay injury or maternal benefits beyond the designated year when required to do so, but may choose not designate said player as a "benefit player." In that case, the player is not entitled to any other benefits, such as other health, dental, or vision insurance.
--To be eligible as a benefit player, players must make themselves available for WNT duty when invited into camp, except in cases where documented medical reason preventing them, their club does not make them available, or they have previously indicated that they will not be available for said WNT event. If they fail to be available for WNT duties, they are no longer eligible for benefits.
--And a key line so I'll quote: "WNT Players must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 consistent with CDC guidelines to be eligible for designation [as a benefit player] at the time of designation each year."
--For 2022, health, dental, and vision insurance continued to those already receiving that benefit. Beginning in 2023, 23 benefit players will be enrolled in Elite Athlete Health Insurance and in dental and vision insurance equivalent to what is provided to other USSF employees.
--For parental leave benefit, players who are pregnant or are caring for a newborn/newly adopted child (up to 6 months) will receive $8,333/month. This is capped at $150,000 total for all WNT benefit players for the second half of 2022. For the period of January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2026, the cap is $600,000. For January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2028, the cap is $300,000.
--For a player who received the parental leave benefit, they have to submit the "Return to Work" form to medical staff once medically cleared to play, even if they remain on parental leave while caring for a newborn.
--Once a player informs USSF that s/he is ready to return after parental leave, the player will be invited to 2 full WNT camps after the coach has spoken to the player to determine if she is physically ready to return or after the player has been back with her club for 2 months.
--Injury benefit: if a player is physically unable to play due to an injury, they are entitled to an injury benefit of $8,333/month in 2022. This is capped at $275,000 total for all WNT players for the second half of 2022. In 2023 and 2024, an injured player receives 100% of roster appearance fees and in 2025, 75% of roster appearance fees in games during the period where they are medically unable to play. This benefit is capped at $240,000 in 2023 and 2024, and at $180,000 in 2025. Excess payments (past the cap) can be made from the WNT portion of the commercial revenue share or from the team's portion of WC prize money.
--Any rostered player will receive 8 complimentary tickets for a USSF-controlled match and, upon request, 2 complimentary VIP passes to be used for friends and family.
--For non-World Cup official competitions, players receive 6 complimentary tickets. The team administrator will ask for any unused tickets to be made available for resale 3 days before a match.
--For away friendlies, players receive 2 complimentary tickets.
--For WC games, rostered players will receive at least 3 complimentary tickets, and if available at no cost to USSF, an additional 3. They also have the opportunity to purchase an additional 10 tickets at the price paid by USSF.
--For Olympics, rostered players (including alternates) will receive 2 complimentary tickets, if available.
--For players who were rostered on in WCQ but not for the WC, they can purchase 4 tickets to each game in which the US participates at the cost that USSF paid.
--There are also complimentary tickets made available for USWNTPA officials.
--USSF will organize a Friends and Family program to assist players' families in traveling to the World Cup and attending WWC games.
--There are descriptions of when players can wear team attire for any endorsements, but I'm only going to highlight the clause here on jersey numbers: player's jersey number is selected based on seniority and is assigned by USSF. Any number can be used by another player when not in use by a more-senior player. Players can dispute or challenge USSF's ability to assign or reassign numbers to a player on the basis of seniority. [Honestly, I'm highlighting this because I feel like there is a story here.]
--Players can make personal endorsements in their personal capacity (not as WNT or USSF representatives) in their own time, such as on travel days, rest days, or other non-working time. In-person personal sponsor appearances can only be done outside the metro area of a camp on travel days or rest days with the prior approval of the head coach or general manager.
--For USSF sponsors, for individual player requests (by name) by the sponsor, the sponsor will negotiate their own appearance fee with the individual. For other USSF sponsor commercial appearances, the appearance fee is $4,500 per appearance.
--USSF will provide player-by-player game payment to the PA within 7 days of players being paid for a camp.
--There is a rather long article in the CBA on grievance and arbitration, but I'm not pulling anything out on that. This includes when USSF can re-open this CBA, such as if WNT or MNT players file a lawsuit. The one instance of when USSF can re-open this CBA that I will highlight is if the settlement of Morgan v. USSF is not approved by the court or is withdrawn.

 

And last post, I promise. Some stuff from the "exhibits" section, such as from the Uniform Player Agreement:

--Players are, of course, held responsible for any fees incurred due to their own negligence in missing a flight.
--Players are required to present at Team meals unless excused by the head coach. Players can decline USSF-provided food at team meals, but finding food elsewhere is at players own expense.
--Players are free, at their own discretion, to turn down any request to report for WNT duty (due to family circumstances or club schedule or other reasons)
--Players are expected to spend time on recovery during rest days. There is also a short section on off-the-field expectations for behavior.
--Upon selection to their first WNT camp and their first WNT camp of a given year, players complete a WNT orientation.
--If a player is a benefit player, they must try to secure their release from their club for WNT duty outside of FIFA windows. They must also coordinate with WNT staff in the case of any injuries, submit to weekly medical monitoring, and try to provide club-collected sensor performance data to the WNT.
--Players cannot play on a competing team, meaning except in the case of the WNT, a club, or an all-star game, players cannot participate in a game on a team with more than 5 WNT players. They can only participate in 1 all-star game per calendar year.
--Exhibits also include a player engagements form (listing agent and personal endoresements), further information on venue selection for games and accommodations, the parental benefit request form, the injury benefit request form, the daily wellness check players complete, and the weekly medical monitoring form. It also has a document on the background screening process for players (completed every 2 years).
--The last document attached is the MOU from Dec. 10, 2021.

 

I've not seen the USMNT's CBA; the WNTPA itself chose to make theirs public on their website. AFAIK, in the term of the agreement, pay and benefits, it is supposed to be equal. For example, we know that the MNT also now benefits from childcare during camp.

 

Correction: this should read *cannot dispute or challenge

There are surely more corrections to be made!

 

USSF had asked FIFA to raise the WWC prize money, so I don't think this surprised them as much as you think. And for the USWNT: they have always gotten the lion's share of the FIFA prize money under previous CBA's while that hasn't been true as much for the men's team until this CBA.

And there were a lot of eyes on this when the CBA was signed; I'd seriously doubt either party wants to make adjustments to it until it expires.

 

Gonna be honest here.. The women will have to suck it up and accept sharing money with the men. They are the ones that demanded a 50/50 split of the reward money, so they will have to live with that split going forward..