Nonstopdrivel
13 years ago

Ridiculous NFL players' 'union' itching for a fight 
Cold, Hard Football Facts for February 5, 2011

[img_r]http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/images/NFLPA_2-4-11_lockout_t-shirt.jpg[/img_r]We were randomly invited to some NFL Players Association party at the Sheraton Dallas on Friday. They were giving away these t-shirts that made it sound like the so-called players' "union" is gearing up for a fight. They read "Block the Lockout: Let us Play."

By the way, can we get past two ridiculous notions about the NFLPA?

One, can we get past the ridiculous notion that the NFLPA is actually a union in any legit sense of the world?

Sure, they bargain collectively. But the players also bargain individually, too, for the most money. In a real union, here's how it works: the shitty workers and the good workers all make the same amount of money. That's the deal: you trade the right to prosper individual for some collective security. The NFL simply does not work that way.

Every man is out for himself. It is NOT a union. In fact, real unions have cement shoes for guys who try to go out and cut their own deals and undermine the legitimacy of the collective power of the group.

Two, can we get past the ridiculous notion that a guy deserves a lifetime of financial security simply because he played a couple years in the NFL?

There are actually poor slob fans who make $40,000 a year who think athletes deserve a lifetime of benefits simply because they played four years in the NFL. These players are are paid to do a job. And it's not even a real job. It's a game, like a child might play on the streets, that they play as adults. And they are rewarded VERY handsomely. They know the risks. They still choose to take them. So let's quit crying over the fortunes of former football players. They have the choice not to play pro football.



Bear in mind, this article was written before the "union" decertified.
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vikesrule
13 years ago


NFL owners' false labor pains 

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Washington Redskins' Daniel Snyder, Seattle Seahawks' Paul Allen and Philadelphia Eagles' Jeffrey Lurie are just three owners who can't seem to rein in their greed.
Are you the kind of person who loves hearing the bug zapper?
Who likes it when the highway paves over a few neighborhoods? Who secretly wants the tank to flatten the kid with the flower?
Then you're going to love the NFL owners in this mess....

....Locking out the players now would be unjust, unfair and as indefensible as Al Davis' wardrobe. There is so much to go around, it's obscene. A billion back? These guys have that in cash.

Malcolm Glazer, owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, once bought a $14 million Palm Beach mansion and never moved into it. He later sold it for $24 million.

Bud Adams, owner of the Tennessee Titans, has 10,000 head of cattle.

Jennifer Lopez, part owner of the Miami Dolphins, has offered to auction off her twins' clothes because they're not allowed to "repeat" outfits.

When's the telethon?.

Greg C.
13 years ago
That first article is kind of weird. Since when is it not a union if the workers make different amounts of money? Doesn't that happen all the time, based on experience and so on?

As for the second point, maybe I'm missing something, but I haven't heard anyone suggest that players should have a lifetime of financial security just for playing a couple of years in the NFL. I think this guy is full of crap.
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Nonstopdrivel
13 years ago
You entirely missed his point. His point was that unions normally negotiate fixed rates based on certain factors: experience, education, seniority, etc. In the NFL, however, every player negotiates his own contract and seeks to maximize his own compensation. That is not possible in a normal union. Worker compensation is bound by the terms of the CBA.
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Packers_Finland
13 years ago
Both articles make good points, but I disagree that it's "just a game like a child might play on the streets". Playing in the NFL takes more of a toll on your body than almost any other profession does.
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wpr
  • wpr
  • Preferred Member
13 years ago
Nice NSD. I am sick of hearing how downtrodden the owners have been to the players. I am sick of hearing how the NFLPA "had" to decertify in order to protect their rights. And yet they continue to act like a union.

Mostly, and I have said this before, it disgusts me that the players can go shopping for a judge they like. Why do Brady and Manning get to file a complaint in MN? They don't work there. They play in Boston and Indy. They only play MN once every 4 years. Brees could play MN every years and then again he may not. And the game may well be in New Orleans.
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Greg C.
13 years ago

You entirely missed his point. His point was that unions normally negotiate fixed rates based on certain factors: experience, education, seniority, etc. In the NFL, however, every player negotiates his own contract and seeks to maximize his own compensation. That is not possible in a normal union. Worker compensation is bound by the terms of the CBA.

"Nonstopdrivel" wrote:



No, I didn't miss his point. A union is a group of workers who bargain collectively in order to gain advantages that they would not have if they bargained individually. The NFLPA bargains in order to set up certain guidelines for contracts, and then their members can negotiate within those guidelines for their individual contracts. Just because MOST unions don't work like that doesn't mean it's not a union.

This guy is just a rabble-rouser. He's not going to convince anybody of anything that they don't already believe. It's all so much hot air.
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Nonstopdrivel
13 years ago
The only two factors negotiated by the NFL CBA are the rookie and veteran minimums and the salary cap (if applicable). (Yes, the CBA also regulates how bonuses are prorated, etc., but that falls under the salary cap.) Everything else is left up to the negotiations between the player and the team. By contrast, regular unions negotiate fixed salary schedules for their workers. There is no wiggle room for individual laborers to negotiate their own salaries. A worker who tried to do that would be in violation of the terms of the CBA and probably would be expelled. He might even be sued for breach of conctract.

The author is entirely correct when he says there is a fundamental difference between the typical labor union and that of the NFL.
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macbob
13 years ago
John Clayton in a Q&A session on ESPN indicated that the owners won't engage in settlement negotiations in advance of the court case unless the NFLPA says it is a union (in which case, I believe they automatically lose their court case). The union wants to be considered 'advisors', whatever that means.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=6286514 

Q: I am a corporate attorney, and I have seen (and been part of) settlement negotiations while litigation is taking its course. Why can't one or more attorneys for players (if not for the NFLPA, then for some of the named litigants) negotiate with the attorneys for the owners right now? At least in California, settlement negotiations cannot be used in trial, so I see no reason why negotiations could not be going on right now. In any event, isn't the real problem the refusal of the owners to provide full financial information?

Ed in Aladena, Calif.

A: You are 100 percent correct. Lawyers for the owners refuse to meet with the settlement attorneys for the players unless the trade association identifies itself as a union, which the players won't do at this time. The players, according to multiple sources, planned to meet with the owners March 28 and spend the week settling this mess. All that had to be done was have a short document go to federal judge Susan Nelson's court saying that the NFLPA's executive board would serve as advisors. The NFL's answer was no. This will be the only way a deal can be reached. Like you, we all wish both sides would go to the bargaining table instead of the courts.

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