Women’s Group Applauds USA Hockey Deal with US Women’s Team
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, March 29, 2017
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Women’s Group Applauds USA Hockey Deal with US Women’s Team
Last night, The New York Times reported that the U.S. Women’s hockey team reached a deal with USA Hockey, ending the team’s expected boycott of the upcoming world championship tournament under the condition that the players receive equal benefits as the U.S. Men’s national team. According to the New York Times, the deal:
“…provides the female players with travel and insurance provisions that equal what the men’s national team receives … The women’s team will also receive a pool of prize money to be split each year. Each player will be guaranteed a $2,000 training stipend per month, year-rounda, from the United States Olympic Committee, and the players will receive larger performance bonuses for winning medals.”
In reaction to the news, Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of UltraViolet, a leading women’s advocacy group, who supported the U.S. Women’s team fight for equal benefits, released the following statement:
“We applaud USA Hockey for listening to the U.S. women’s hockey team and negotiating with them in good faith, and we applaud the players for their grit and persistence for equal benefits.
“The U.S. Women’s Hockey team is the best women’s hockey team in the world — having won six out of the past eight world championships. They have brought prestige to hockey in the United States and inspired a passion for sports in young women across the country. These women risked their hockey careers to ensure equal benefits for the whole team, and they won.
“This particular fight for equal pay and benefits also speaks volumes to the very real wage gap that exists throughout our country, with women losing over $400,000 in earnings over a lifetime for the pay gap — that number is double for women of color.
“We look forward to watching the U.S. women’s hockey team compete for another world championship. Only this time, they’ll be able to do so on the same footing as the men’s team.”
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