NFL News League Filing Grievance Against Player’s Union Over Annual Surveys

[Ring 6]

If an employer isn't meeting the needs of its employees, it is failing its part of the "partnership". The league doesn't exist without players, full stop. Without players and employees fighting and advocating for themselves, owners would still hand out bologna sandwiches. Again, keeping stuff behind doors is only for the benefit of the owner, regardless of what you agree with or not.

The very fact they want to keep survey results behind closed doors shows this, it would put the power more in their court and allows them to move as slow as they'd like. The relationship between employer and employee is one of a power struggle. 32 owners calling the shots of 1,696 players. If you don't use every single tool to fight for a seat at the decision making table, they'd laugh in your face and close the door on you.

The players create the answers that they turn around and publicly try to use against ownership. Surely you can see the danger with that.

Publicizing the results of the survey that they created, evidently in order to publicize isn’t changing anything. They don’t negotiate through the court of public opinion, they negotiate through collective bargaining.
Alienating your partner is never a sound plan.

 

[Vindicate]

The players create the answers that they turn around and publicly try to use against ownership. Surely you can see the danger with that.

Publicizing the results of the survey that they created, evidently in order to publicize isn’t changing anything. They don’t negotiate through the court of public opinion, they negotiate through collective bargaining.
Alienating your partner is never a sound plan.

Public pressure is one hundred percent a viable tool to force an employer's hand, not sure how else to put this. I am a union organizer. Now it's certainly something you don't resort to before exhausting other lanes, but it is a tool.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Who cares. Employees do the same thing on Glassdoor.

 

[Ring 6]

Public pressure is one hundred percent a viable tool to force an employer's hand, not sure how else to put this. I am a union organizer. Now it's certainly something you don't resort to before exhausting other lanes, but it is a tool.

As you said you try everything else first. Why? Because it has negative consequences and is dubious in its effectiveness.
The NFLPA certainly hasn’t exhausted all of it other lanes.


I recognize they THINK owners will give in if the public thinks they are cheap, but I think they are wrong, and the real consequence of airing dirty laundry publicly is that it can cause fans to leave the sport.

Ask baseball how the fans responded to publicly exposing owners as “cheap”. It cause many lifelong fans to turn away because of the greed.

 

[Vindicate]

As you said you try everything else first. Why? Because it has negative consequences and is dubious in its effectiveness.
The NFLPA certainly hasn’t exhausted all of it other lanes.

Because you first negotiate and bring people to the table. If they don't respond, then you employ other tactics. Just because it's a tool for later resort does not diminish its efficacy. And I'm sure the NFLPA has exhausted many lanes. And no, it is not dubious. Not sure where you get that from.

I recognize they THINK owners will give in if the public thinks they are cheap, but I think they are wrong, and the real consequence of airing dirty laundry publicly is that it can cause fans to leave the sport.

Ask baseball how the fans responded to publicly exposing owners as “cheap”. It cause many lifelong fans to turn away because of the greed.

That's the point. That's what forces a greedy owner to rethink their move.

 

[Family]

It's the union by far the weakest of any of the major sports, and there have been accusations/examples of corruption and collusion with ownership.

I don't feel the union has really done its job for the NFL rank and file close what the unions have done for other sports.

For this reason it's hard for me have a problem with the players giving their union/ownership the finger. Considering the average NFL player has a very short unguaranteed career (which the owners take huge advantage of) I don't see why long term interest with their partner would be more important than a decent facility for their few years as pros.

 

[n1997y]

Part of union power is bringing struggles to the public space, and seeing as this is a product consumed by the public, any worthwhile union/PA should be willing to let it see daylight. It is only ever in the owner's interest to keep things private.

Actually as with most power the most powerful way to handle it is the threat not the exercise. It is seldom productive in any substantial way to make your adversary lose face.

In my experience typical practice on audits and assessments is to share results privately to allow constructive response before releasing them publicly. You get the improvements you want (which should be substantive) while they get to save face (which costs you nothing).

Simply put, there are two ways to handle such things: you can try to make things better, or you can play “gotcha!” and try to score points by making the subject (or, target) look bad.

Guess which one is most productive, and which one results in hostility and interferes with constructive relationships…

 

[n1997y]

Honestly answering a workplace survey is not 'trashing' the workplace neither will it have any impact on gold the goose produces.
(1)

It’s not “honestly answering a workplace survey” that’s the issue.

How would that constitute “public disparagement”?

Problem is how NFLPA handles the results.

 

[n1997y]

Not sure if you read the article, but that’s exactly what the complaint is in the grievance - “The league’s grievance stems from CBA Article 51, Section 6, that requires the NFLPA and league management council to “use reasonable efforts to curtail public comments by Club personnel or players which express criticism of any club…””

Now that said, the NFL is using that as an argument not to have the surveys done at all.

Of course they are.

Because NFLPA has shown they can’t be trusted to keep the results in house and play nice. They have tried to cause the clubs, and the league, public embarrassment. Amateur move.

 

[n1997y]

What’s really interesting to me is the timing, with this coming on the heels of the NFLPA leadership fiasco.

It’s a good test of the new leadership team.

Let’s see how they respond.

 

[n1997y]

I always wondered about the effect of winning and losing on those reports how a player relates to the coaches and staff. Wanna bet that the survey for the Pats is a LOT better this that the last 2 years

A lot of the structural improvements that have occurred were planned were "in the works" a couple of years ago when those negative surveys went out.

Players this year seem to be liking the facilities enough to come in on their days off.

Or are you saying that the difference between Coach Mayo and Coach Vrabel might affect how players feel about their workplace?

 

[n1997y]

Because you first negotiate and bring people to the table. If they don't respond, then you employ other tactics. Just because it's a tool for later resort does not diminish its efficacy. And I'm sure the NFLPA has exhausted many lanes. And no, it is not dubious. Not sure where you get that from.



That's the point. That's what forces a greedy owner to rethink their move.

Or burned many bridges.

Sounds the same but is very different.

Interesting to consider the NFLPA is currently led by an interim Executive Director while they search for a replacement for Lloyd Howell who resigned amid controversy last summer. The interim ED has no football background, so no lanes to exhaust, or bridges to have messages of concern about the survey to come across.

 

[n1997y]

This is interesting background. The last NFLPA ED election was a two-horse race. The winner, Lloyd Howell Jr., resigned amid serious controversies. The loser, David White, former head of SAG-AFTRA (the union for screen actors and others in the entertainment industry), is now the interim Executive Director. This quote comes from the time when Howell had resigned before White was appointed interim ED:

White, who lost the finalist vote to Howell in 2023, told ESPN he is rooting for the union.

"What I want is for these men to be protected in one of the most exploitative industries on Earth, and my hope is that whoever they choose has the experience and the strategic wisdom to accomplish that," said White…

So it looks very possible that White might be contending for the permanent appointment. And now the league has thrown him a very hot potato.

'If he failed, their process failed': Inside the NFLPA meltdown

 

[WhatJustHappened]

All I'm aware of, is the Pats got mashed like 2 years in a row in that survey (by the PLAYERS), and all of the sudden, massive upgrades are being done to the facilities.

Call it what you want, I WANT this blind survey.

 

[PP2]

Probably Jerry Jones - he runs the show with those guys.

It's Woody Johnson who's leading that grievance, which is completely unsurpising, because as I pointed out in another thread, he has a 'F' rating for ownership (Jerry Jones has a 'B' rating).

NFL news: League files grievance against NFLPA led by Woody Johnson

The National Football League, led by Woody Johnson, has filed a grievance about report cards against the NFLPA.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[signbabybrady]

All I'm aware of, is the Pats got mashed like 2 years in a row in that survey (by the PLAYERS), and all of the sudden, massive upgrades are being done to the facilities.

Call it what you want, I WANT this blind survey.

Pretty sure those permits for the building are older than 2 surveys.

I suppose maybe a survey from a few years ago tipped them off. But pretty sure them upgrading facilities is as much about keeping Gillette fresh to avoid a full rebuild like in Nashville.

Whatever infrastructure they add to Gillette just keeps them from a multi billion dollar rebuild longer.

 

[Vindicate]

Of course they are.

Because NFLPA has shown they can’t be trusted to keep the results in house and play nice. They have tried to cause the clubs, and the league, public embarrassment. Amateur move.

In what world have the owners ever shown they'd play nice?

 

[farn]

The owners are pompous babies. They cry over this, but have no qualms stifling the players - whose careers are very short - knowing their ownership can outlast the prime years of players.

I hope the PA wins and/or finds another way to openly let their membership know which franchises are strong at on what points !

 

[Wozzy]

Public shaming the only thing keeping these owners accountable. This will have no traction in court.

 

[XLIX]

Shut up and eat your baloney!!!