The United States Soccer Federation filed a lawsuit against the union representing the U.S. women's national team Wednesday in a dispute centered around its collective bargaining agreement.
The CBA between U.S. Soccer and the women's national team expired in 2012, but the two sides have been operating under a memorandum of understanding that's allowed the team to continue playing, according to the New York Times.
U.S. Soccer alleges in its lawsuit that the agreement constitutes a new CBA, valid until the end of 2016, though the women's team union argues no CBA exists.
“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,” U.S. Soccer said. “While unfortunate, we believe taking this action provides the parties with the most efficient path to a resolution.”
Richard Nichols, the union's executive director, says there is no labor agreement between the two sides. He contends that U.S. Soccer's assertion that the issue could jeopardize the women's team's participation in upcoming events is unfounded and they have made no threats involving work stoppages.
"We have an honest disagreement about whether there is a valid CBA,” Nichols said. “We’re just trying to get some clarity.”