while a lot of that is true, it would also definitely work to give them a higher standard of payment, as Unions do in any other instance. Veterans and big name fighters would be able to ask for more, and lower tier guys would be able to get a wage that makes risking their livelihood more worthwhile. It would also set up a pension plan, and health insurance so that fighters arent dead broke post career or dont have to beg on gofundme after horrific injuries like Cyborg did. Collective bargaining is nothing to scoff at.
If you're a fan of fighters, not the promoters I dont understand how anyone WOULDNT support a fighers union. Granted maybe Im bias because Im a Union member myself and they've covered my ass plenty of times and made sure I didnt get fucked over time and again so I have personal experience with the benefits it provides lol.
I think, like other pro sports, veterans and high ranking fighters gain little from a union outside of protection from their bad deeds. The union does nothing, salary wise, for Alex Rodriguez or Clayton Kershaw, they have great agents and great resume's that decide their salary. But, as you said, it will do a ton for the new guys who will come in with a higher base salary. Collective Bargaining is somewhat of a joke because there is nothing collective about it, the bigger names all bargain on their own, for pay and perks, they could easily use that same power to force the hands of the owners to pay new guys better, but they don't because at the end of the day everyone on all sides are selfish.
As for Pensions and Health Benefits, the problem is that the union was only looking to unionize the UFC, not Bellator and WSOF, where the fighters need those things the most. The UFC already covers all health care as long as guys are signed to a fight (they may have extended it to everyone under contract, but i'm not 100% certain) Pension is also essentially just a pay bonus to some, 16% in my union's case, but with most unions it's a time thing. So if a fighter only has 1 or 2 fights the pension may not cover them. (Cyborg's wife actually begged for him and Cyborg said he's donating all the money she got to a place in Brazil that helped him when he was a kid)
Like you i'm a union member, but unfortunatly I've got somewhat of an opposite experience (as do many of my fellow workers) where they've fought against us time and time again. The benefits have been good, but overall I've seen how those of us at the bottom of the ladder get screwed over and over, and it could happen in the UFC, making cards smaller because the new owners will now see it's easier to just have 5 big fights and 2 prelim fights, all with experienced fighters, or having the same amount of fights with 1 big and 6 throw away fights. What will determine how good the union works is how it treats those lower guys, and if it's like mine it's not gonna be good, but as I said in another post if they get someone like the MLBPA or NFLPA to organize for them, then all the fighters, big and small, will have it much better.
