Money Matters: NFL, Union Wrangle Publicly on CBA

Mar 10, 7:31 AM EST
By HOWARD FENDRICH
AP Pro Football Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Not nearly enough.

That, essentially, was the NFL Players Association's stance on two vital issues Wednesday as the deadline for a new labor deal approaches. The owners' willingness to reduce the amount of extra money they want up front - from $1 billion to $800 million - isn't a sufficient drop. And the financial data the league is willing to reveal isn't what the union seeks.

Both sides spoke much more openly about money matters Wednesday than they have since they entered mediation Feb. 18. The twice-extended deadline for expiration of the collective bargaining agreement is at the end of Friday.

Under the old CBA, owners received an immediate $1 billion for operating expenses before splitting remaining revenues with players. Owners initially sought to double that, and while they have lowered the up-front figure they want, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith tied that to the full financial transparency he's sought for nearly two years in what is a $9 billion business.

Wis. GOP Bypasses Dems, Cuts Collective Bargaining

AP Photo/Andy Manis

Mar 10, 8:07 AM EST
By SCOTT BAUER
Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- At least two dozen protesters spent the night just outside the Wisconsin state Assembly chamber in anticipation of a late Thursday morning vote on explosive union rights legislation that passed the Senate after Republicans outmaneuvered their missing Democratic counterparts and pushed through the bill.

The extraordinary turn of events late Wednesday set up Thursday's perfunctory vote on the measure that would strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from most public workers. Once the bill passes the Assembly, it heads to Republican Gov. Scott Walker for his signature.

Within hours of the Senate passing the bill, a crowd of hundreds of protesters grew to about 7,000 in the Capitol, a crowd as large as any seen inside the building in three weeks of demonstrations.

No Protest Planned Over Boeing Tanker Win

Tue. March 08, 2011

The European Aeronautics and Defence group (EADS) announced it will not dispute the Pentagon’s choice of Boeing as winner of the competition to build a new fleet of air-to-air refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force. The news concludes a nearly 10-year battle for the contract, which could support more than 40,000 U.S. jobs and is worth as much as $100 billion to Boeing and its suppliers.

In his announcement that EADS would not protest the award, EADS Chairman Ralph D. Crosby Jr., acknowledged that Boeing's $20.6 billion bid was significantly less than the $22.6 billion offer submitted by EADS, which had proposed building a tanker modeled around the Airbus A330. The Air Force evaluation, acknowledged Crosby, was “handled exactly by the rules.”

IAM leaders said the announcement confirmed their belief that the U.S. workforce was a major factor in the Pentagon’s decision.

Veterans Council Serves Those Who Served

Tue. March 08, 2011

The IAM is urging all union members who are military veterans to take advantage of the resources provided by the AFL-CIO Union Veterans Council (UVC), an organization founded in 2008 and dedicated to providing information about legislation, programs and benefits of value and interest to veterans and their families.

Veterans, family members and even non-veterans who believe our veterans deserve the best, are encouraged to click here to begin receiving email alerts about important issues and events and when their voice is needed to make a difference.

Among the issues that are part of the 2011 UVC Legislative Agenda are health care for veterans and the high unemployment rate for Afghanistan and Iraq veterans, which includes National Guard and Reserve troops who found their jobs gone when they returned from active duty.

“There are approximately 185,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who are currently unemployed and thousands more who are unemployed due to the ongoing recession and the loss of valuable manufacturing jobs,” said IAM General Secretary-Treasurer Warren Mart, who serves on the UVC Executive Council. “We owe them our best efforts and the Union Veterans Council is one way to make sure their concerns get the attention they need and deserve.”

IAM Poll Reveals Bi-Partisan Disapproval

Tue. March 08, 2011

In the second annual poll designed to give IAM members an opportunity to express their concerns about the state of the economy, the verdict was clear: President Obama isn’t doing enough to create jobs, with only 15.2 percent rating him excellent or good and 83.2 percent giving him a not-so-good or poor rating on having a strong, aggressive program to get people back to work.

As disappointed as IAM members were in the president’s performance, their disdain for Congress was clear. Over 51 percent said they would NOT support their member of Congress for re-election – a 4 percent decline from 2010, but still not an encouraging sign for incumbents.

The nearly 1,900 IAM members who took part in the poll were bi-partisan in their disapproval. They felt neither party was: controlling the growth of the federal deficit (64.6 %); standing up forcefully to the big banks (63.9 %); or pushing a strong jobs program to get people back to work (63.2 %). Democrats drew their best marks on standing up for the interests of working people (45.1 %); pushing programs to rebuild America’s infrastructure (44.6 %); and protecting Social Security and Medicare (43.1 %).

Wisconsin Solidarity in Black and White

Tue. March 08, 2011

In a show of support for union members fighting for their rights in Wisconsin, the IAM joined with the United Steelworkers in publishing full-page ads in the Wisconsin State Journal and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspapers.

“Collective Bargaining Works for Wisconsin” reads the ad as both unions salute their 44,000 proud members at Harley-Davidson, Bucyrus, Mercury Marine, Domtar, General Electric, Greenbay Packaging and dozens of other firms in Wisconsin.

“These members continue to find collective bargaining solutions in these tough economic times,” said IAM International President Tom Buffenbarger. “We want them, our fellow Brothers and Sisters in the public sector, and the entire country to know we see the concerted attack being forged against organized labor and the hard working men and women of this country - and we will not take it lying down. We will fight.”

Author Stephen King: Why Aren’t the Rich Like Me Paying More Taxes?

by James Parks, Mar 9, 2011

As 15,500 people rallied in 30 cities across Florida yesterday to protest Gov. Rick Scott’s budget, author Stephen King made a surprise appearance at the rally in Sarasota. A resident of Sarasota, King said maybe he should write his next horror novel about Rick Scott. He told the crowd the rich ought to pay more taxes (see video).

You might say, “Hey, what are you doing up there, aren’t you rich?” The answer is, “Thank God, yes.” And you know what, as a rich person, I pay 28 percent tax. What I want to ask you is why am I not paying 50 [percent]. Why is everybody in my bracket not paying 50?

Working people rallying in the “Awake The State” events said they would not stand for Scott giving tax breaks to the rich and corporations while he sticks it to teachers, public employees and other middle-class citizens.

Ohio Workers Determined to Stop Anti-Worker Bill

Several thousand people rallied yesterday outside the Ohio state Capitol.

by James Parks, Mar 9, 2011

Ohio’s working people served notice that they are more energized than ever to defeat S.B. 5, Gov. John Kasich’s anti-worker bill that takes away bargaining rights from public employees. The state Senate passed the bill by one vote in a last-minute, dirty-trick maneuver, and the state House began hearings yesterday.

Working families’ determination was evident yesterday as thousands of protesters converged on the steps of the state Capitol to protest Kasich’s State of the State address.

Over the weekend, union members hit the streets to educate other Ohio residents about the bill. AFSCME Ohio Council 8, OCSEA/AFSCME Local 11 and OAPSE/AFSCME organized door-to-door canvasses in Canton, Dayton, Toledo and Westerville. The Ohio Education Association also held postcard writing events across the state on Saturday and Monday, and nearly 200 workers and community members turned out for a rally against S.B. 5 in Portsmouth organized by the Shawnee Labor Council.

Poll: Americans Support Public Employees

by Tula Connell, Mar 9, 2011

A Bloomberg National Poll just out finds that 64 percent of Americans, including a plurality of Republicans, oppose Republican-led efforts to take away the right of workers to bargain for good middle-class jobs. The poll also finds public employees are viewed favorably by a large majority: 72 percent, compared with 17 percent who have an unfavorable view.

Sixty-three percent of respondents, including 55 percent of Republicans, say states without enough money to pay for all the pension benefits they have promised to current retirees shouldn’t be able to break those obligations.

In addition, 63 percent of those surveyed, including a majority of Democrats and Independents, say corporations wield more political clout than unions—an imbalance in the checks and balances process that the public undoubtedly understands will only worsen if anti-worker bills backed by governors like Scott Walker in Wisconsin and John Kasich in Ohio become law.

NFL Players Back Indiana Workers

by James Parks, Mar 9, 2011

The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) today issued a statement of support for the working families in Indiana who are under assault by Gov. Mitch Daniels and a conservative majority in the legislature. In the statement, the players said:

The NFLPA stands together with the working families of Indiana and organized labor in their fight against this attempt to hurt them by targeting unions.

The hard-working people of Indiana, who work in both the public and private sectors, deserve the right to choose union representation and have collective protection for themselves and their families. The attacks on public employees in Indianapolis are particularly troubling. The teachers, nurses and people who keep us safe deserve our respect and strong representation from their unions. We stand in solidarity with our union brothers and sisters in their fight against the special interests that are trying to undermine the rights of American workers.