Get to Know AFL-CIO's Affiliates: National Women's Soccer League Players Association

This is the next post in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates. The series will run weekly until we’ve covered all 65 of our affiliates. Next up is the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA).

Name of Union: National Women’s Soccer League Players Association

Mission: The players of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) vow to build on the opportunity that has been afforded to them, as well as work to achieve those goals that have not yet been attained. They honor the vision and progress of those who came before them. They commit themselves to doing all in their power for the betterment of their members so that they may best contribute to the common goal: to play world-class soccer on the field and to inspire the next generation off the field.

Current Leadership of the Union: The executive committee consists of Haley Hopkins (president), Dani Weatherholt and Madison Hammond (vice presidents), Maggie Graham (secretary), and Emily Menges (treasurer).

Day-to-day operations are handled by Executive Director Meghann Burke and Deputy Executive Director Tori Huster.

Current Number of Members: More than 400

Members Work As: Professional soccer players.

Industries Represented: Professional women’s soccer.

History: The NWSLPA was first organized in 2017, as players conducted a card-check drive to unionize all NWSL players under a standard player agreement. The NWSLPA adopted its constitution and bylaws, and Yael Averbuch was elected as the union’s first president.

In 2018, the NWSL voluntarily recognized the NWSLPA as the exclusive bargaining representative of all NWSL players.

In April 2019, Brooke Elby was elected as the union’s second president. That same month, the NWSLPA engaged in its first-ever work stoppage, as players on the Chicago Red Stars and Reign FC refused to play in unsafe field conditions. By December, Elby was named co-executive director, sharing responsibilities with Averbuch.

In 2020, Tori Huster was elected the third president in NWSLPA history. In July 2020, the NWSLPA notified the league of its intent to negotiate its first collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

In March 2021, the NWSLPA named Meghann Burke as its first full-time executive director, formalizing the union’s leadership at a critical moment. By August 2021, players brought forward reports of misconduct by coaches and others in positions of power, prompting a broader reckoning across the league. After successfully canceling a full weekend of games, players returned to the field on Oct. 6, 2021. In the sixth minute of play, matches across the league paused as the players gathered at the center circle, standing arm-in-arm in silence to call for change. The NWSLPA issued eight demands outlining a path toward accountability and structural reform.

In January 2022, the NWSLPA ratified its first CBA. The agreement established free agency rights for the first time in U.S. domestic women’s professional soccer under a CBA, significantly increased minimum salaries, returned group licensing rights to players, introduced revenue-sharing mechanisms, and secured critical health and safety protections—including mental health leave, pregnancy and parental leave, second medical opinions, and the right to choose a surgeon.

In October 2022, the joint investigative team—formed by the NWSLPA and NWSL in response to the players’ demands—released its findings, marking a critical step toward accountability and reform. On Dec. 14, 2022, the NWSL announced unprecedented disciplinary sanctions in response to the report, signaling a turning point for the league.

In 2024, the NWSLPA and NWSL reached and ratified a second CBA after months of voluntary bargaining, securing further historic gains for players and continuing to reshape standards across women’s professional sports in the United States.

Current Campaigns/Community Efforts: The NWSLPA partners with various organizations. The Support the Players National Emergency Trust was created to provide charitable assistance to current and former professional women’s soccer players with unexpected financial hardships, and to remove cost as a barrier to accessing mental health services. The NWSLPA works with various partners to feature officially licensed products. 

Learn More: Website, Bluesky, Instagram

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 04/20/2026 - 14:11

Giving Back to the Community: The Working People Weekly List

Every week, we bring you a roundup of the top news and commentary about issues and events important to working families. Here’s the latest edition of the Working People Weekly List.

Unions Bash AI as Opposition Grows: 'We Believe in Human Beings': “‘We are here to sound the alarms on AI,’ said Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO. ‘This race that everybody seems to think we're in to advance AI at all costs—with no guardrails or protections for people—is reckless and dangerous.’”

Unions Sue U.S. Labor Board Over Bid to Concentrate Legal Powers in D.C.: “A group of unions has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the U.S. agency that oversees union elections for federal employees from stripping career staffers of the power to order elections and giving it to a panel appointed by the president. The unions in a complaint filed in Boston federal court on Wednesday said the Federal Labor Relations Authority's policy change, which was announced last month and is ‌set to take effect April 23, was not adequately explained and will upend a system developed over decades with just 30 days' notice.”

Roxanne Brown: Why This Union Paramedic Treats an Epidemic of Inequality: “Dominick Sapien and a fellow paramedic arrived at a home in Central Wyoming to find the victim of a fall lying helpless on the floor, one knee split in half, part of the mangled mass of flesh and bone jiggling up and down. Sapien, president of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 9012, prepared to transport the person to the hospital for emergency surgery. But the patient, writhing in pain and unable to move without help, balked at going. ‘I can’t,’ the patient said, describing the cost of an ambulance ride and hospital care as simply unaffordable. ‘I’ll just rest.’ Tragic, isn’t it? Rest alone was never going to help Sapien’s patient walk again. Yet this is the kind of story we hear more and more often in a nation where a handful of billionaires possess obscene wealth while growing numbers of ordinary people go without food, health care, and other essentials. It’s an epidemic of inequality.”

Doctors at This Central Valley Hospital Voted to Unionize. Here’s Why: “Doctors in training at the largest hospital in Tulare County have voted to form a union, saying they are underpaid and overworked at the under-resourced hospital. A ‘super majority’ of 150 residents at Kaweah Health Medical Center in Visalia voted in favor of representation, the Committee of Interns and Residents of the Service Employees International Union said in a news release.”

Hundreds of Students Participate in FORGE Welding Competition in Rochester: “The annual FORGE Welding Competition took place at Local 6 Plumbers & Pipefitters Training Center on Wednesday with about 500 students participating.  According to Training Coordinator Jeremy Thompson, the competition is a hands-on event that works to connect students with careers in the trades, manufacturing and engineering sectors. ‘It’s a great opportunity for us as the host of the competition too, because where else could you have an opportunity to get 500 high school students into the training center to see what we do,’ he said.”

Postal Service Union Rolls Out ‘America Needs Vote by Mail’ Ad Campaign Amid Trump Attacks: “The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) has rolled out a pro-mail-in voting advertisement following President Trump’s recent attacks on the practice. The ad, titled ‘America Needs Vote by Mail,’ features people in multiple occupations and circumstances, from a flight attendant to a college student to a farmer, discussing their reasoning for voting by mail.”

Threats to Library Funding End with Settlement by Trump Administration: “The American Library Association, a nonprofit that promotes libraries, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees filed a lawsuit arguing that the cuts violated the Constitution and federal law by usurping Congress’s authority over how federal funds are spent.”

NJ Transit Light-Rail Mechanics Join TWU: “Mechanics working on New Jersey Transit's Hudson-Bergen light-rail system yesterday voted to join the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU). All employees of the light-rail system are now part of TWU, union officials said in a press release. The mechanics and car cleaners are both employed by North Central Transit Services, while operators and maintenance-of-way employees work for ACI-Herzog. ‘With [the] mechanics...joining the TWU, we now have a unified workforce ready to fight more effectively,’ TWU International President John Samuelsen said. ‘Today’s successful vote now sets up bargaining for a first contract that will lead to better pay, quality-of-life and working conditions for NJ Transit mechanics.’”

LAUSD, SEIU Reach Deal: “Why now: Two days after LAUSD reached new deals with its teachers union and its principals union, the district tentatively agreed on a contract with SEIU Local 99. Why it matters: The unions gave the district an April 14 deadline to reach a deal, or face a walkout. A strike by all three would have shut down district schools and disrupted the education of about 400,000 students and the lives of families scrambling for child care.”

UFCW, JBS Ratify Agreement at Colorado Facility: “United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with JBS USA on April 12 at the beef plant in Greeley, Colo. The terms of the new deal run through April 2028 and affect nearly 3,800 workers at the facility, which has the capacity to process up to 6,000 head of cattle per day. The agreement was reached after both sides held talks on April 9-10, following a union strike since March 16. UFCW announced workers would return to their jobs on April 7 before the agreement was completed.”

UAW Members Give Back Through Monthly Food Distribution: “Members of the local labor union representing workers from the Stellantis plant in Belvidere give back to the community even after the plant’s shutdown. UAW Local 1268 partnered with the Northern Illinois Food Bank to host a food distribution event Saturday morning, offering resources like food, clothing, shoes and books to families in need.”

Kenneth Quinnell Mon, 04/20/2026 - 10:01