U.S. Women's soccer player Samantha Mewis finds herself in the fight for equal pay once again — this time at the Massachusetts State House.
The Hanson native testified in support of a set of salary transparency bills Tuesday, drawing from her experience with the historic equal pay lawsuit against U.S. Soccer.
"It was a stressful time," Mewis told NBC10 Boston. "Seeing firsthand how difficult it is to advocate for yourself for equal pay has been really eye-opening."
The legislation would require employers to post salary ranges and release aggregated wage data by race, gender and employment category. Mewis, who served as an officer of the Players Association for five years of the legal battle and CBA negotiations, emphasized the significance of having that information.
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"We were told by our own federation to just be grateful for what we had," Mewis told lawmakers. "Without understanding the financial benefits and resources the men were receiving, we would not even have known the level of discrimination we were facing."
Wage gaps in Greater Boston have gotten worse over the last decade, jumping from 23 to 30 cents for all women — meaning they make 70 cents on the dollar — according to the Boston Women's Workforce Council. The disparity is even worse for Black and Latina women, who make just 49 and 45 cents on the dollar, respectively.
Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell pointed to those statistics in her testimony, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic set women back by 30 years.
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"That disparity will get worse as people are grappling with devastating economic effects from the pandemic," Campbell said.
The Associated Industries of Massachusetts is also throwing its support behind the legislation. Executive Vice President Brooke Thompson argued that salary transparency not only benefits workers, but employers as well.
"Good business reasons for employers to seek pay equity — it increases employee morale, decreases turnover, improves retention rates and overall performance," Thompson said.
Last year, the union representing the U.S. Women's National Team and U.S. Soccer signed an historic agreement to ensure equal pay for male and female players. But Mewis acknowledged that the fight is ongoing for countless others, and offered a piece of advice.
"There was so much strength in those numbers and strength in being a team, so I hope that can translate to having all these powerful women — people — coming forward to speak today," she said.
