|
The NFL Players Association has turned to Congress for assist in preventing team owners from locking out union members next year. Steps the union has taken involve drafting letters for lawmakers to send to the NFL and holding a briefing for members of Congress and also their aides on the economic iNFLuence of a labor dispute, according to files acquired by The Associated Press. The union's enemy on Capitol Hill, NFL lobbyist Jeff Miller, argued that Congress is not in the position to sort out the dispute and that trying to pull lawmakers into it is out of bounds. One union-drafted letter asks Commissioner Roger Goodell to commit to no lockout next year - and, if that can't happen, looks for a batch of facts from the NFL, including each squad's financial statements and income figures of top officials as well as information on government subsidies for stadium construction and renovation. The union had no takers for that letter, yet it did get Sen. George LeMieux, R-Fla., to write to Goodell and the union showing worry about the economic iNFLuence of a lockout and urging both sides to arrive at a contract. LeMieux's letter, sent in August, includes passages almost just like a draft letter published by the union. The competitors union refused to comment on its campaign. In a brief telephone interview, NFLPA community guidelines counsel Joe Briggs said Congress has taken a lively interest in the sport, citing last year's really publicized hearings on NFL head injuries. He additionally mentioned that Goodell had gone to a Congressional Black Caucus foundation event this year and that the league's political action committee had made campaign contributions. Miller said the NFL is simply playing defense. The present labor agreement expires in March. Players now obtain 59.6 percent of designated NFL revenues, which the owners say is an excessive amount of. The union was encouraging congressional interest in the labor situation since a year ago, when it picked Washington insider DeMaurice Smith as executive director. Smith has pushed Congress to assure that the "gifts" it supplies to the NFL - such as an antitrust exemption for broadcasting contracts - be used in strategies to benefit fanatics and others associated with the sport. He's put together a couple of player lobbying days on Capitol Hill, boasting dozens of current and former competitors. In July, Smith invited lawmakers and congressional staffers to a briefing in the House Judiciary Committee hearing room titled "Professional Football: More than a Game." An NFLPA invite says "Mr. Smith will provide his insights on this multibillion-dollar industry and how a protracted labor dispute will affect those individuals without a voice at the bargaining table," such as small business owners and employees who hinge on football. The union has argued that a lockout would cost NFL cities $150 million in lost jobs in addition to revenue. Under Smith, the union has additionally ramped up lobbying spending, however it is still significantly outspent by the NFL. As of Sept. 30, the NFL had spent around $1.1 million this year to have an impact on the federal government, over three times the union's $340,000. And in contrast to the union, the NFL additionally has a political action committee, which made nearly $600,000 in campaign donations in this season's elections, generally to incumbents. Additionally, visitor logs show that both Smith and Goodell have been to the White House to speak to staffers. Stephen Ross, director of the Penn State Institute for Sports Law, Policy and Research, said there is little possibility that Congress would pass legislation that could affect the labor dispute. What is more most likely is the menace of congressional involvement having some iNFLuence, he said. He additionally called the players' lobbying campaign part of a synchronized public relations effort. The NFLPA is not the 1st sports union to turn to Congress for assist in a labor dispute. During baseball's 1994-95 baseball strike, the competitors urged Congress to rescind the sport's antitrust exemption. Lawmakers proposed 15 parts of legislation that would have eliminated or modified the exemption, though none became law at the time. Another branch of government wound up saving the 1995 year. On March 31 of that year, U.S. District Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor, now a Supreme Court justice, issued an injunction against the owners that ended the 7½-month strike. The Bet Royal website features online casino games, pker tournaments, slots, and Texas Hold'em for exciting online gambling and wagering. The site also includes a full sportsbook for live odds, results, and immediate payours for almost any sport. http://www.betroyal.com/
Related Articles -
Football, NFL, football probabilities, NFL probabilities, football probabilities, National Football League,
|
