http://www.mmafighting.com/2016/8/1...major-sports-names-new-group-forms-to-get-ufc "The Professional Fighters Association (PFA) has been established with a goal to get collective bargaining for UFC athletes, it was announced Thursday in a press release. The PFA is hoping to get recognition of a fighters union through the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the release stated. And the group has the support of many of the major sports unions, like the MLPBA and NFLPA. The group is being led by longtime baseball agent Jeff Borris, labor attorney Lucas Middlebrook and economist Andrew Zimbalist. Borris once represented the likes of Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco and Rickey Henderson. Middlebrook, best known in the MMA space as Nick Diaz lawyer, is counsel for the Major League Soccer referees union, NBA referees union and the unions for Southwest Airlines employees. Zimbalist is a highly regarded and oft-published sports economist. The PFA has also received the support of the MLBPA, NFLPA, NHLPA, NBAPA and MLSPU." That 4 billion headline surely got them laywers interested !
damn looks like there is some steam going - i still dont ge thow they plan to get the big guys to join - this will only benefit the lesser paid athletes and most fightesr dont care about others that much
WTF are they going to do though? The UFC doesn't have to bargain with them. Unless they can get the roster to go on strike, they're useless. And people wonder why we say an effective union would hurt the sport. SMH
I just dont see the fighters sticking with a union when the UFC offers them a contract they will take it. A guy on the regional circuit gets a call with them expressing interest he is going to take it. This union will only be effective for the top guys that already have a contract when it comes time to get a new deal and to get anything done for the no namers in the UFC will take many many years.
This is exactly right, and a major point most people here don’t understand. The best they can hope for, and probably their only real goal, is to get as many “name” fighters as possible to sign them as their management team.
I'm excited for this. I hope the PFA succeeds in increasing the wages of these professional athletes. I'm still amazed to hear knee-jerk anti-union reactions. It's as though collective bargaining for better wages and benefits is a bad thing. Corporations are otherwise unrelated shareholders that are collectively advocating on behalf of management, it's only fair that workers should have the same. Without unions and activists for the working-class, we wouldn't have the scant work place regulations that we have today: 40 hour work week, minimum wage, overtime, OSHA. But these thoughts are likely too complex for the crowd that just says "Unions are bad" and then continues to huff Trump's butt toots.
There needs to be an elected board of fighters that has the ability to oust a self serving, would inject money in their veins if possible, type of union president! I am a believer that only active fighters should be calling the shots because, a retired fighter will not always choose what is best for current workers. Retired fighters only care about the health benefits. Fighter pay is meaningless to them.
