Solidarity!

Its nice to see the World Champion Green Bay Packers stand with the workers of Wisconsin —-

JSonline has the story here.

Present, former Packers say they back AFL-CIO

By Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel

Present and former members of the Green Bay Packers, all members of the National Football League Players Association, have signed a letter in support of the AFL-CIO’s efforts to derail Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to cut some union bargaining rights.

The letter was signed by Curtis Fuller, Chris Jacke, Charles Jordan, Bob Long, Steve Okoniewski, Brady Poppinga and Jason Spitz.

The statements reads: “We know that it is teamwork on and off the field that makes the Packers and Wisconsin great. As a publicly owned team we wouldn’t have been able to win the Super Bowl without the support of our fans.

“It is the same dedication of our public workers every day that makes Wisconsin run. They are the teachers, nurses and child care workers who take care of us and our families. But now in an unprecedented political attack Governor Walker is trying to take away their right to have a voice and bargain at work.

“The right to negotiate wages and benefits is a fundamental underpinning of our middle class. When workers join together it serves as a check on corporate power and helps ALL workers by raising community standards. Wisconsin’s long standing tradition of allowing public sector workers to have a voice on the job has worked for the state since the 1930s. It has created greater consistency in the relationship between labor and management and a shared approach to public work.

“These public workers are Wisconsin’s champions every single day and we urge the Governor and the State Legislature to not take away their rights.”

The NFLPA’s office in Washington is expected to make a statement later Tuesday.

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23 thoughts on “Solidarity!

  1. Good for them, but it still is not going to stop what needs to be done. Its time unions become part of the state and accept that they need to pay their fair share and stop stealing from the hard working people of Wisconsin

  2. correct Nota….unions have lived outside the law and the state for far too long. I say we treat Union workers as lepers, detainment camps, separate water fountains and restaurants, locker rooms, etc… Maybe paint a big red U on their chest! Let them know their days if actually being able to survive in our economy are OVER!

  3. That is the perception what unions try to say is reality, it is how union leadership keeps the members under their thumb of control, fear, lies, dishonesty.

    1. NotaLib? I’m not sure if your’e that genuinely not touched by society or anything, but Unions are the otherside of the coin of business. But from your posts here, driving down a road dodging cars while typing instead of actually being logical and reasonable by watching the road – I can guess yes. You are detached from society. But let’s face it – the reason why republicans want to get rid of unions so that we don’t have any way of people to bitch at them when someone I don’t know shoots a bird in a facility and ends up hitting you with a bullet in the back of the head.

      I have my complaints about Unions too, but they still serve a purpose, do not take the rights away from people. They will be willing to go for lesser pay, but if you take away their right to ask for better or when they get injured on the jobs, that is asking for trouble with you and many other businesses.

      If you expect the common to help out people: newsflash: they don’t.

    2. This is a society of: I got mine so fuck you. You’re not working hard enough and don’t deserve anything.

      And you and I are living proof of it.

    3. This is a society of: I got mine so fuck you. You’re not working hard enough and don’t deserve anything.

      And you and I are living proof of it.

  4. And notice Gooddell is trying to spread the same lie that Walker is: that the business owners will go broke and can’t compete in the current system, and that the people who do all the work and provide the services that people want to see are the ones that have to make all of the concessions. And even going half or 3/4 of the way isn’t enough for these entitlement-driven white Republican men.

    And just like Scotty’s act, it will fail miserably, because people want their football and respect the sacrifices these players make for the game, and they also know their teachers, street cleaners, neighbors, and other public workers should be treated as human beings for the job they do.

    1. I find it laughable that NFL owners are complaining that they’d go broke without drastic changes to the CBA. These are billionaires we’re talking about; not folks who don’t have two nickels to rub together.

      1. True enough – in a battle between millionaires & billionaires, it’s hard to have much sympathy.

        But in terms of needing a bigger cut of revenues, the owners have expenses. The players don’t. They are paying the players and operating costs to put on the games. The players are certainly right to demand that the owners open their books if they want to claim 59% is too much, however.

        Interestingly, the Packers were among the biggest spenders – of the playoff teams, they had the second largest payroll. If the cap had been in place this year, they would have been over it.

        To that end, if the rest of the NFL has financials comparable to Green Bay, the owners are right. Their operating profit for this year was $9.8 million. On a payroll of $161 million, that’s really not enough. And the direction is absolutely clear – and troubling. $40 million 4 years ago, down, $20 million 2 years ago, and now under $10 last year. (2010-2011 FYI runs through the end of march). Over the past 4 years, player costs have been rising by almost 12% annually, while revenues have only risen 5.5%.

        It will be very interesting to see how 2010-11 turns out, and what the result of a Superbowl does to revenues. Unfortunately, their path of all road playoff games, didn’t help. My guess is that the Packers would have lost money if not for the magic run they’ve had.

        Finally – setting everything else aside, the owners will come out on top of this situation. Most of them got rich being smart with their money. NFL players are notoriously bad at money management. Do the the math. And if that doesn’t convince you, the clincher: The NFL received an advance of $4.5 billion of guaranteed money for the TV broadcast rights for next year. With no CBA, that’s their money & they don’t have to share a dime. The NFLPA sued, asking that it be held in trust until an new agreement was reached, but they lost. So on top of everything else, the owners have $4.5 billion to help them get through however long they have to go with no football. The players aren’t going to last that long. The cars and mortgage payments are going to keep coming.

            1. I’d take issue with your choice of verb. “Gets” implies something is given. “Takes” would seem to be more appropriate.

  5. And how many players do you thik would be willing to bet thier fortunes on a NFL team? Without these ” entitlement-driven white Republican men,” (sic) those pplayers would not have millions they do to play agame. They would not have the endorsemnets, the cars, the women, none of it without the ” entitlement-driven white Republican men” who were willing to put thier money on the line. WHy is it that progressives find success and evil thing, is it because you are not driven even to be successful so all you can do is blame someone else for your failures? And to say that state workers have not been treated as human beings just shows how divisive progressives really are.

  6. After your comments Notalib, I suggest you seek some professional help. Your perception is just as bad if not worse than your Governadictator.

    If the GovernorÂ’’s perception is wrong – – his solution is wrong!
    Spread the word – LIBERALLY (added instructions)

    Our budget deficit is not due to – state worker’s low than average pay and appropriately deferred benefits, unions, or collective bargaining. Stop making the link and your world be fuller and brighter because you will be able to find the right solution to our problem.

    BTW did you see the awesome turnout of Solidarity!!! It’s not to late to become a part of it!

    1. Yeah saw it was not impressed by it and would not care to be part of the sheep who blindly follow leaders and do what they are told to do.

        1. Thanks Bob but since I am not owned by a union I am not the one who needs help, I understand that there is a small percentage of people who need unions to think and survive, but the number of people who belong to unions shrinks every year and eventually those numbers are going to be so small it just is not going to matter. One by one unions are being cleard out of Wisconsin, every day the air is just a little bit better the foul stench of anger and bitter union works is slowly dissapating in the state.

  7. Squid-lib- Most NFL owners are examples of “success”? Like Dan Snyder? Bud Adams? Mike Brown? Jim Irsay? Try stupid rich folks who lucked or were born into their fortune and position. I don’t know about you, but when I pay for NFL games and watch on the tube, I’m doing it so I can see Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Desean Jackson etc. I could care less who owns those clubs, because they’re the disposable ones, not the players.

    Unless you think the XFL was a worthy substitute for the big leagues, of course.

  8. I agree I watch the game to see the Green Bay Packers play, I cheer for that team, who is on the team does not matter as players come and players go. I also agree that I could care less about the owners but to say they are disposable is laughable, if the owner folds his teant and takes the ball home does not matter how many players show up, there is no place for these players to play, they are only hired by the owner to fill a roster spot for as long as they serve a purpose once they reach the end of that purpose they are sent packing and evntually replaced by someone else. Without the owners there is no NFL, without the players there is no NFL. You seem to think that a team can just run on it’s own.

  9. Meet you at the barricades folks. My wife and I are getting on the bus to Madison shortly. It’s a four hour ride one way.

    Glenn Grothman was on Ed Schultz last night claiming these protests were just “Madison” events. I think I’ll give him a call sometime tomorrow. There’ve been spontaneous events all over the northwoods over the last two days, several hundreds of people at each event.

    Nice try, Glen.

  10. Notalib your perceptions are wrong, your solutions are wrong.

    I am not a union person – but I am a responsible business person. Your solutions of ridding our country of democratic rights is troubling. As you can see you are a mere minority(less even) on this blog. People of all kinds were in Madison – Union and Non-Union. They came together in solidarity for the state workers and hard working citizens of Wisconsin.

    I am 2 years new to Wisconsin and have lived in all corners of this great country. Wisconsin, even with it’s cold winters, is my favorite place to live. I can see why now! The people are genuine and will stand up when their State and Country are being destroyed by misconceptions and malicious lies. The budget shortfall was not caused by unions, state workers, and their benefits.

    You don’t fix a family budget by cutting spending on the item that feeds you. That is what the Governor is doing. These cuts will destroy small businesses like mine. We employee over 15 people now. Up 5 since 2 years ago. We purchase local produce and products from farmers and businesses and the trickle down starts there.

    So please open your mind and stop being controlled by the misconceptions of the Governor.

    If the Governor’’s perception is wrong – – his solution is wrong!
    Spread the word – LIBERALLY (added instructions)

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