Steelers players vote to decertify union

[stillers4me]

Wednesday, October 06, 2010
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Steelers players this afternoon voted unanimously to decertify their union, after a meeting with NFL Players Association leaders at the team's UPMC training facility.

DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the union, met with players after practice today and then took a vote to decertify the NFLPA........



Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10279/1093051-66.stm#ixzz11cMvlL00

[stillers4me]

Steelers vote to decertify union in case of a lockout

By Scott Brown (sbrown@tribweb.com), PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Last updated: 4:13 pm

Steelers players voted unanimously today to disband their union in the event of a lockout.

The Steelers are the 10th team whose players agreed to decertify the NFL Players Association if the owners impose a lockout after the collective bargaining agreement expires in March.

Decertification would allow the players to sue the NFL under anti-trust laws in the event of a lockout. The maneuver could strengthen the players' bargaining position as they try to forge a new labor agreement with the owners.............
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_703020.html

[SMR]

Wonder what's gonna happen next year. Sigh...

[SMR]

Sorry if I sound cynical. Eh, life.

[ALLD]

They are quarreling over 10% of the entire nut, but both sides forgot they already are in the top 1% and could easily lose it all due to greed on both sides. I don't get it. The new contract should have been a done deal last year.

[X-Terminator]

I am in the player's corner here, but that is subject to change. Both sides need to really think about what they are doing, though, given the economy and how many people are struggling to make ends meet. Joe SixPack will not be very sympathetic to a bunch of millionaires and billionaires arguing over more money than they'd ever see in 100 lifetimes...not when he is worried whether or not he'll have a job tomorrow.

[Devilsdancefloor]

I really hope there is no lock out, but i thought the same thing for the NHL so far i too am behind the players. Owners like jerry jones need to be excluded from the talks that mane just makes things worse.I just hope the commish does something unlike bettman did for hockey, but like bettman, goodell is a horrible commish and things might get ugly before better. i hope Dan Rooney returns for the talks he has been around the league forever and probably can talk some sense into a lot of owners.

[stlrtruck]

Wonder what's gonna happen next year. Sigh...

The UFL baby...the UFL!!!!

[Craic]

I really hope there is no lock out, but i thought the same thing for the NHL so far i too am behind the players. Owners like jerry jones need to be excluded from the talks that mane just makes things worse.I just hope the commish does something unlike bettman did for hockey, but like bettman, goodell is a horrible commish and things might get ugly before better. i hope Dan Rooney returns for the talks he has been around the league forever and probably can talk some sense into a lot of owners.

However, the NHL lockout was probably the best thing that happened to the NHL in a long tome. The changes that were made, included the financial changes, make a whole lot of sense.

I usually am in the owners side on these things. You sign a contract and play a game for millions. If you want more money, get people together, and buy your own team. However, when discussing something like salaries caps across the entire NFL, the players DO have to be involved, otherwise it is collusion.

Just remember however, everyone that received DWI's or failed drug tests etc., and weren't suspended... weren't suspended because of the CBA... the union. In short, they forced the league's hand in NOT being able to deal with those actions.

[Steeldude]

scrap all of the players and replace them permanently.

i will never watch the UFL.

[shinoff2183]

I played receiver in high school. Ill play for league min. My knee might bother me a little bit but I got heart Imma wes welker type of player.

[CPanther95]

I played receiver in high school. Ill play for league min. My knee might bother me a little bit but I got heart Imma wes welker type of player.

Cool.

Here's the Patriots phone number:
(508) 543-8200

[SirHulka]

Decertification would allow the players to sue the NFL under anti-trust laws in the event of a lockout. The maneuver could strengthen the players' bargaining position as they try to forge a new labor agreement with the owners..
How can it strengthen their bargaining position if they have no one to bargain for them? We decertified, so we're not a union any more? <wink, wink> But we can still negotiate like one.

The only real hope we have of a fair CBA is if we take Goodell and Smith out of the equation.

[CPanther95]

One player could sue, or they could join a class action suit. Either way it isn't good. The draft would normally be illegal, as would the salary cap - if not for the CBA and the union agreement to waive their normal rights. Without the CBA, there is no waiving of those rights.

[GodfatherofSoul]

They are quarreling over 10% of the entire nut, but both sides forgot they already are in the top 1% and could easily lose it all due to greed on both sides. I don't get it. The new contract should have been a done deal last year.

That's a crude simplification. I recall from a couple years ago that the owners were trying to exempt some next-generation media services from their revenue sharing with players. There's also the issue of the 18 game season the owners want which is another brazen money grab by the owners. They'd go for a 32 game season if they thought they could get the players to do it. IMO a 16 game season is about all these guys can physically handle.

I'm fully with the players on this one. Hell, if anything cut the preseason to 2 games.

[Chidi29]

These are all precautionary moves. Just expecting the worst so if it does happen, you're not hung out to dry.

I still don't expect a lockout to happen.

[steelerdude15]

Fuck the union, that's all I have to say. The NFLPA is worthless.... I just hope we have our real team playing football next year.