As Wisconsin Republicans push to make their state the 25th to pass an anti-union “right-to-work” law, the NFL Players Association on Tuesday issued a statement opposing the proposed law.
The players’ union “stands together with the working families of Wisconsin and organized labor in their fight against current attacks against their right to stand together as a team,” the statement from NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said.
Right-to-work legislation, which is aimed at gutting union membership by ending requirements that workers have to pay dues in workplaces that are organized, likely wouldn’t affect the NFLPA directly. But the statement noted that many stadium workers at Lambeau Field, the home of the Green Bay Packers that was renovated in 2003 with an all-union workforce, will feel the effect of the law.
“Devoted food and commercial workers who spend their Sundays servicing our players and fans at Lambeau Field will have their wellbeing and livelihood jeopardized by Right to Work,” the statement reads. “Governor Scott Walker may not value these vital employees, but as union members, we do. We understand how devastating it would be if they lost the ability to have their workplace conditions and wages guaranteed through collective bargaining. We do not have to look any further than our own CBA to see that a band of workers, joined together as a union, can overcome decades of poor workplace conditions and drastically improve pensions and benefits.”
It continues: “Beyond the stadium, generations of skilled workers have made Wisconsin a warm, welcoming home for our members of the Packers as well as those on visiting teams. Committed men and women in industries such as construction, steel, automotive and communications make it a state where our future members are proud to grow up and attend college, and a place where many of our former players choose to call home after their playing days are over.”
The statement cites research from the Department of Labor showing that “average wages across all industries in right-to-work states were $4 per hour lower than those in non-right-to-work states,” and that “one study determined that Wisconsin would see a net loss of between $3.89 and $4.82 billion annually in workers’ incomes.”
The NFLPA and its players have in the past opposed efforts to pass right-to-work laws in Indiana and Michigan. Both laws ultimately passed, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has said he will sign the law there should it pass as expected.
NFL players also spoke out against Walker in 2011, when he signed legislation that stripped collective bargaining rights from public union employees. Defensive back Charles Woodson, then playing for the Packers, issued a statement against that legislation before it became law and at least two other then-Packer players tweeted in support of recalling Walker (the governor ultimately survived a recall attempt). The Washington Post reported this week that that law had effectively crippled public sector unions in Wisconsin.
The MLB Players Association, which opposed the Michigan right-to-work effort, and the National Basketball Players Association, which opposed Walker’s 2011 legislation, did not respond to requests for comment. Both unions also represent pro athletes in Wisconsin.
Smith also linked NFL players to the larger labor fight in an interview with The Capital Times.
“Our guys work for a living,” Smith said. “And when it comes to the issues of working men and women in America, our issues really aren’t so divergent from theirs. Our guys want a safe workplace. They want a fair wage. They want a fair pension. And they want to know that they can address all of those issues as a collective team rather than being subjected to an employer who has a significant, if not tremendous, amount of bargaining leverage over an individual.”