The owners don't want to break the union

[HF2002]

They just want to pin the union's "arm" behind its back.

An article in the Ottawa Citizen takes a look at the good and the bad if the NHL goes for an impasse and the decertification of the union.

"It's not a question of right and wrong. It's a question of brute bargaining strength."

link

Click to read more...

 

[SPARTAKUS*]

Very interesting acticle... thanks HF2002

 

[fan mao rong]

Very interesting acticle... thanks HF2002

Yes it is a good article, people should read it for some varying opinions. Interesting that those labor lawyers, or one of them, says anti-trust cases can last for years.

 

[Epsilon]

Yes it is a good article, people should read it for some varying opinions. Interesting that those labor lawyers, or one of them, says anti-trust cases can last for years.

Big anti-trust cases (ATT, IBM, Microsoft) have been known to drag out for the better part of a decade.

 

[misterjaggers]

If an impasse leads to the union getting decertfied and the players lose their antitrust suits, they could walk away with zero.

 

[leaflover]

If an impasse leads to the union getting decertfied and the players lose their antitrust suits, they could walk away with zero.

If this lockout drags on that long their will be plenty of zeros for everyone.Players,owners,fans,arena and other team employees,The Hockey News,merchandise companys and virtually everyone else dependant on NHL hockey for either entertainment or employment.

 

[Poignant Discussion*]

Its a player association, NOT a union. There is a world of difference and any union member would be offended by being painted by the same brush as an "association"

 

[Ghost of Dale Hunter]

"Plus, there would likely be a backlash from the public, trade unions and corporate supporters, who may not relish the thought of having their products and services associated with a "scab" league."
-----Quoted from the article

I think the biggest backlash would be against the type of hockey. I am not sure how many Unions would really give a darn...

I am president of my local and I don't feel a groundswell of support for the players and their plight.

What do you guys think?

 

[A Good Flying Bird*]

"Plus, there would likely be a backlash from the public, trade unions and corporate supporters, who may not relish the thought of having their products and services associated with a "scab" league."
-----Quoted from the article

I think the biggest backlash would be against the type of hockey. I am not sure how many Unions would really give a darn...

I am president of my local and I don't feel a groundswell of support for the players and their plight.

What do you guys think?

As a union/association, I don't really have much respect for sports unions.
The NHL players didn't mind crossing the picket line when officials were on strike or locked out.

 

[Ghost of Dale Hunter]

As a union/association, I don't really have much respect for sports unions.
The NHL players didn't mind crossing the picket line when officials were on strike or locked out.

nor taking the jobs of their European brothers......

 

[HF2002]

"Plus, there would likely be a backlash from the public, trade unions and corporate supporters, who may not relish the thought of having their products and services associated with a "scab" league."
-----Quoted from the article

I think the biggest backlash would be against the type of hockey. I am not sure how many Unions would really give a darn...

I am president of my local and I don't feel a groundswell of support for the players and their plight.

What do you guys think?

Scab workers in professional sports aren't going to be regarded as the best players. In fact, they may even get laughed at. If your shaving cream is the official shaving cream of the scab NHL would you really want to use it? I mean, these bums use it, sure. But you're not a bum, right? Now, when Todd Bertuzzi in the real NHL uses it, well... what can you do?

If the fans actually start watching the games, smaller companies might try to buy up some advertising at a price they may not have had before. There still are a lot of local businesses who sponsor the teams. Would the risk be worth it for them? A competitor might be able to use it against them at some point - I guess it depends where you are. I can just hear the commercials now.

"At Ron's, your strike pay goes a little further because we support you, your family, and America. But at Joe's, they'll take your cash, your job, and then ship it to our enemies." Or something like that....although word of mouth might get a little louder during a strike, and maybe you go to Ron's if you're on strike just because Joe sponsored the scab NHL.

 

[SENSible1*]

Scab workers in professional sports aren't going to be regarded as the best players. In fact, they may even get laughed at. If your shaving cream is the official shaving cream of the scab NHL would you really want to use it? I mean, these bums use it, sure. But you're not a bum, right? Now, when Todd Bertuzzi in the real NHL uses it, well... what can you do?

If the fans actually start watching the games, smaller companies might try to buy up some advertising at a price they may not have had before. There still are a lot of local businesses who sponsor the teams. Would the risk be worth it for them? A competitor might be able to use it against them at some point - I guess it depends where you are. I can just hear the commercials now.

"At Ron's, your strike pay goes a little further because we support you, your family, and America. But at Joe's, they'll take your cash, your job, and then ship it to our enemies." Or something like that....although word of mouth might get a little louder during a strike, and maybe you go to Ron's if you're on strike just because Joe sponsored the scab NHL.

Grasping at straws.

 

[misterjaggers]

Its a player association, NOT a union. There is a world of difference and any union member would be offended by being painted by the same brush as an "association"

You can label as you wish, but they hold the legal status of a union.

 

[misterjaggers]

"Plus, there would likely be a backlash from the public, trade unions and corporate supporters, who may not relish the thought of having their products and services associated with a "scab" league."
-----Quoted from the article...

And later in the article, it's mentioned that the NFL's use of replacement players in 1987 motivated that players' union back to settle.

 

[MojoJojo]

Like hell they dont want to break the union. This is like General Motors hiring scabs and then telling the media the are union friendly. Yeah, yeah, cant compare primadonna millionaire hockey players to auto workers. They are trying to completely overhaul the system without the consent of the players, without negotiating or giving anything in return. "Capitulate or we hire replacements" is the very definition of a business trying to break a union.

 

[arnie]

They just want to pin the union's "arm" behind its back.

An article in the Ottawa Citizen takes a look at the good and the bad if the NHL goes for an impasse and the decertification of the union.

"It's not a question of right and wrong. It's a question of brute bargaining strength."

link

All this break the union stuff is nonsense. What exactly does "break the union" mean? Have them change their bargaining position? This is hardly breaking the union.

 

[HF2002]

All this break the union stuff is nonsense. What exactly does "break the union" mean? Have them change their bargaining position? This is hardly breaking the union.

Isn't this exactly what breaking the union means? They aren't trying to wipe it out, they are trying to get the players to turn on each other, weaken the solidarity and force the hardliners to capitulate. If players start to think that sitting out two years is not worth it, just so Jagr can make an additional 2 million a season, then they might start to push the union to accept certain NHL demands. It won't work if Rob Ray leads the charge, and there'd have to be significant numbers of players who want it.


The owners want to break the union but they don't want to destroy it. That's what the article was driving at.