One of the United States’ largest unions has intervened in the discussion of personal policy of the National Football League. According to The New York Times, the United Automobile Workers has called on the NFL to collectively bargain any changes to its personal conduct policy. In a letter sent to the league, the union said the “league’s go-it-alone and unilateral management actions” have “resulted in fan backlash, sponsor unrest and damage to the sterling NFL brand.” After Ray Rice, the former Baltimore Ravens running back, was suspended indefinitely in September for hitting his fiancée, Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league would overhaul its personal conduct policy to make it more consistent and transparent. The NFL Players Association has been in discussions with the league about those changes, but it wants all future changes to be collectively bargained. An NFL spokesman said last week that the personal conduct policy was a league policy that had never been collectively bargained, but the spokesman said that the players union had substantial input into revisions over the years.
This article was republished with permission from the editor and publisher of the Sport Intern, Karl Heinz-Huba.