Sports fans, we're going to go a little off the board here. One big topic that is spanning all areas of interest is collective bargaining. For those who aren't familiar with collective bargaining, it's the practice of negotiations between an employer and a group of employees so as to determine the conditions of employment. This tool has long been a powerful weapon in the repertoire of labor unions. Collective bargaining can determine wage scales, pay increases, working hours, off days, etc.
In recent years, most have only heard of collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) in the world of sports. Leagues have a Players Union that bargain with the owners of their sport's teams. The CBAs are in place for a set amount of years, which can be renewed, renegotiated or terminated. The big one out of those three is terminated, and that's what the world is seeing in different areas.
Let's start with sports, namely pro football. The NFL is currently locking horns with its players association, the NFLPA. The owners of the league believe they are not getting enough of the multi-billion dollar pie that they share with the players. As a result, unless something gets done in the 11 hours before the CBA expires, the owners will lock out the players. This means players are not permitted on team grounds and are not to be in contact with team personnel like front office personnel and coaches. A few details the owners are wanting include more money from the pie and an 18-game schedule. The NFLPA is vehemently against these changes for many reasons most of which includes the safety of the players. Lockouts are not uncommon. The NBA had one in 1999, reducing the schedule to 50 games. The NHL had an entire season and playoff canceled in 2004-2005, and is still recovering. The losers in these lockouts aren't the players or the owners. It's the fans who support their team and their sport.
Too often, sports are overlooked as one big business. To the normal fans, we still think of sports as our childhood pasttime, our distraction from life, even a way of life. We always say that we play for the love of the game. And we want our favorite players to do the same. Unfortunately, this is not a reality. Sports is no different than any business or government entity. Which leads to the other half of this article. Labor unions that the normal person is involved in.
Several states, most notably Wisconsin and Ohio are having an internal battle with their workers. The state is trying to pass what is called in Ohio Senate Bill 5, or SB5. The goal of this legislation is to overhaul its CBA and restrict labor union rights for state employees, such as the right to strike. Also included are restrictions on bargaining for health care, sick days, and pension benefits. It basically means that the state will determine what their workers can and cannot negotiate. The state becomes the undisputed law in labor relations.
Firefighters, police, teachers, and other state employees are facing a huge battle. They are being stripped of their liberties without so much as a say in the proceedings. All they can and are doing is peacefully protesting in statehouses across the country. The big fear of the unions is that this can lead to the expulsion of CBAs. And if they can break the public sector, it's only a matter of time before it reaches the private sector.
Collective bargaining is spanning cultures. It's a big deal in the public and private sectors where most of us work. It's a big deal to the athletes who put their bodies on the line for us. Besides the amount of money being astonomically far different, they are fighting for the same thing. They want to keep their rights, their conditions and most importantly, their money.
We're in an interesting time in our world's affairs. Local economies are being affected by overseas upheaval. The dollar doesn't stretch as far as it used to. The people we elected to office may not be doing what it is we elected them for. And areas of life that most people use as an outlet is close to locking out its most popular and richest sport. Collective bargaining has a hand in all of this. That's what links us to the athletes we watch and follow.
No comments:
Post a Comment