Tobin Heath spent her Monday at the White House, celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Play Act.
The Act helped to make equal pay laws more enforceable, and Heath was present at the White House on Monday to talk about the U.S. women’s national team’s fight for equal pay.
We also heard from equal pay champions like @Lilly_Ledbetter and @TobinHeath about their fights for equal pay—on how far we have come and how far we still have to go. pic.twitter.com/3B9TlB7vjE
— White House Gender Policy Council (@WhiteHouseGPC) January 30, 2024
“I’ve been so fortunate to be able to play on the U.S. women’s national team that’s become synonymous for the fight for equal pay,” she said during a White House Instagram story. “I’m so happy to be here with my fellow champions and trailblazers of equal pay, to be able to continue to champion the progress to really close the wage gap.”
Heath was a member of the group that sued U.S. Soccer in 2019 in the team’s fight for equal pay. In 2022, the federation and both national team announced a historic CBA that guaranteed equal pay for the women’s and men’s teams.
It’s not Heath’s first time having been to the White House. Twice she’s attended as a member of both the 2015 and 2019 World Cup winning teams.
“It’s an honor to be here today to discuss fair pay. I remember we were here after our 2015 World Cup win and at that time that was before we had actually sued our employer for equal pay,” she continued. “And it’s incredible the progress that then had been made right before the 2019 World Cup. We were fighting for equal pay and we won that World Cup and everything culminated in this moment where, we thought you know, the whole world would have been chanting USA and the whole world was chanting equal pay.”
While the USWNT was among the first to fully guarantee equal pay, there’s still work to be done. Other federations, like Canada, are fighting for equal pay.
“It’s important the work that’s being done,” Heath continued. “We need to continue to fight for the progress of equal pay. It will mean a better future for us all. And that’s what we’re here to celebrate and to continue to champion.”