Major junior hockey gets new push to unionize

[Mackcanuck]

Canada’s largest private-sector union is rekindling an effort to unionize 1,300 hockey players in the country’s major junior leagues, two years after the last attempt fizzled in scandal.

Controversy is already engulfing the renewed effort, thanks to the involvement of Glenn Gumbley, a former union official who for the second time is involved with recruiting both players and the support of the National Hockey League Players Association, according to documents and interviews.

Unifor, created in 2013 from the merger of the Canadian Auto Workers union and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, has scheduled an organizing meeting Wednesday in Montreal to convince players to sign union cards and form a board of directors for the prospective United Hockey Players Association. Unifor also represents Toronto Star journalists.

With 60 teams across Canada and the U.S. composed of players generally between the ages of 16 and 20, major junior hockey is a business that generates millions of dollars in revenue. While teams under the umbrella of the Canadian Hockey League sell for as much as $10 million, union organizers and some hockey player agents argue few, if any, of the profits trickle down to the players.

“These kids need a union because Canadians are blinded to the realities of junior hockey thanks to our love for the sport,” said Ron Pink, a Halifax lawyer who was hired in 2012 during the last attempt to organize players.

“The kids are beholden to owners who pay them a pittance. Take the Halifax Mooseheads, who draw 9,000 people a game at $15 a head. Then think of the sales of beer, jerseys, and paraphernalia. This is big money, but the kids are prepared to be treated this way because they are living for the dream.”

Unifor is targeting the Quebec league first because union certification there only needs the support of 50 per cent plus one of the players. In Ontario, the organizing mechanism is more complex.

Read more here

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2014/07/07/major_junior_hockey_gets_new_push_to_unionize_from_familiar_controversial_figure.html

[Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw]

I don't know what to say. I do like the concept of teenagers being amateurs for the sport, but I'm not blind to the fact that CHL teams make big bucks on Friday nights. How much money would players start making?

[Kryten]

As a former player, this is long overdue. The team owners/managers are dropping the ball here as they could easily avoid the situation by investing more money into their player's living situations. It also wouldn't hurt to have some extra cash on hand in case someone wanted to actually do something that didn't involve training or hockey. Asking for cash from the manager is a good way of getting sent to Manitoba to play for the Flin Flon Bombers (a constant threat lol).

Staying with a billet isn't cheap and there are many other expenses that need to get sorted by young players. In my situation, we were promised jobs to help pay our way but this was a farce (the "jobs" were more or less odd jobs around town for a pittance). A lot of us weren't prepared for the amount of time we would spend training and practicing, not to mention game days. Even if we decided to look for work ourselves, our schedules prevented us from being useful to anyone. Overagers who were done high school, who should have the free time to work, were given more intense training regimens and ice-time; all mandatory (unless they had post-secondary obligations).

Players don't need to get paid a major increase, they just need a moderate amount to help pay the bills and take the pressure off of their parents who are often provinces away (or in another country for some); supporting their child who they rarely even see. We all can't play for Portland

[Mustapha]

While I agree that there should be more measures in place to ensure CHL players are properly taken care of, I don't think a union is the answer.

Unions are in place to protect professionals - the CHL is still an amateur league, even though it is the highest level in Canada (maybe the planet)

A union will cost the league and franchisees more money, which will affect season ticket holders and even the stability of individual franchises (the Kootenay Ice are in bad shape as it is right now, imagine if the costs of a union were added) . Paying the players a 'union wage' will make hockey dramatically more expensive for all involved.

If a players' union is enacted, chances are the CHL would no longer offer the post-secondary tuition grant for every year played. A young man might play 4-5 seasons maximum in the CHL, so even if he is being paid decently, it's over after his career is over and he will now have to pay in full for his education.

I can totally understand how CHL players might need a reasonable per diem to handle day-to-day expenses and life. No reason to get a union involved.

[Oregon Canucky]

I agree that a union is a horrible idea. Its not justified means to an end. The kids need some money, I agree. So lets cut every player a check (for the same amount) and move along with out day. Kids have money. No squabble over what players are "Worth". everyone still gets college tuition.

Perhaps we should also include flights for family members so they CAN ALL "play in Portland". =)

[goalie13]

“The kids are beholden to owners who pay them a pittance. Take the Halifax Mooseheads, who draw 9,000 people a game at $15 a head. Then think of the sales of beer, jerseys, and paraphernalia. This is big money, but the kids are prepared to be treated this way because they are living for the dream.”

Actually, the Mooseheads draw just over 8,000 a game, but that's not typical. In the Dub the average is less than 4,500 a game, the OHL is just over 4,000 and the Q is shy of 3,200. I worry that a union might destroy some of the small town teams.

Source: http://www.hockeyattendance.com/

[Ghostsof1915]

Maybe instead of Billets, have the team own several "dorms". Arrange food, travel, gym, tutoring, and per diems for various expenses. Players can get paid in Bonds or so, that when they are finished in the CHL they can choose to redeem for University, or if they are going to turn pro those bonds can be converted to cash.

Maybe just make all dorms and living expenses, subject to audits to make sure the players are being taken care of. I'm sure this could be done without starting a union.

Players have to tread carefully because they want to make sure they are still eligible to get scholarships.

[Kryten]

All of the suggestions above are valid, the only ones that need convincing to make it happen are the owners. Hopefully just the threat of a union will be enough for (more of) them to do a better job of taking care of their kids.

[Mackcanuck]

The CHL is in a Lawsuit right now



Lawsuit seeks to have junior players paid minimum wage
January, 29, 2015

The Canadian Hockey League has long been the most consistent pipeline for the NHL's top talent.

Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares and an abundance of other young phenoms all rose through the junior hockey ranks before becoming NHL stars, with league executives and scouts mining the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League for the best prospects in North America.

Recently, however, a collection of class-action lawsuits filed against the CHL in three Canadian provinces in which they have head offices, could threaten the top feeder league's very infrastructure with allegations that the CHL has violated labor laws in the treatment of its athletes.

The crux of the lawsuit, for which there is a class certification hearing in February, is that these players -- the vast majority of whom range from ages 16 to 20 years old -- are employees of their teams and deserve to be making a minimum wage. The CHL, however, contends that the players are instead "student athletes" who are guaranteed certain educational benefits and small weekly stipends.

According to the original complaint filed in October, obtained by ESPN.com, the suit alleges that the CHL contracts "violate the rights of the players under the Applicable Employment Standards Legislation with respect to minimum wages, vacation pay, holiday pay and overtime pay."

"The players are entitled to be compensated at statutory minimum hourly wage rates in the Province or State where the Player was employed for back wages, and back overtime pay, and back holiday pay and back vacation pay," the complaint states.

The plaintiffs, led by former junior hockey player Sam Berg, are seeking $160 million in damages in the suit.

"These kids devote 60-70 hours a week from [ages] 16-20 playing for these teams making somewhere around $50 a week,” said Toronto-based attorney Ted Charney, who is representing Berg and the plaintiffs in the case. "When the teams have revenues which can be in the millions of dollars in profits, lucrative television rights, corporate sponsorships with some of the biggest companies in Canada and the U.S., they are all in the business of making money. The only people not making wages are these kids playing hockey to make their dreams come true of making it to the NHL.”

And considering the small percentage of kids that actually do move on to the NHL, a lot of players get the short end of the deal, according to Charney.

"It all seems good to them while happening, but at the end of day, what do they have?" he asked. "These teams, we're not asking them to pay the kinds of salaries that pro hockey players earn, just minimum wage."

Berg, an 18-year-old college student at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, became involved in the suit after a disappointing experience during his playing days in the OHL.

According to Berg, son of former NHLer Bill Berg, he played eight games with the Niagara IceDogs before being sent down to a junior B team, where he reaggravated a previous shoulder injury and was forced to stop playing.

Berg was shocked to find out that he'd be receiving only partial assistance with his college education. Berg said he was under the belief that he was contractually guaranteed to receive four years of tuition as part of the educational package he was promised.

Berg, who was born in New York City but hails from Beamsville, Ontario, feels he was taken advantage of and doesn't want other players to encounter a similar experience.

"I think a lot of that has to do with the culture," Berg told ESPN.com in a telephone conversation. "The culture is that players are lucky to get the opportunity, so everybody thinks they should just put their heads down and keep working. Players are always gonna do that -- I believe [hockey] players are among the most dedicated people in the world -- but those players should be protected from being exploited for their passion."

Berg is planning to transfer to Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, next year to study sports management. He knows his first semester at McMaster was paid for, but he's unsure if he will ever receive any additional reimbursement for his education.

Marty Williamson, head coach and general manager of the IceDogs, has a different understanding of how things went down between Berg and the lower-tier junior team he joined after what Williamson described as Berg's disappointment with playing time on the IceDogs.

"The only thing I know is he quit our hockey teams," Williamson told ESPN.com when reached by phone Thursday afternoon. "I don't know if it was because of injury or why he left, but it really was as simple as that."

Williamson said that Berg did not leave the IceDogs under bad terms -- he said the two shared a hug and a handshake in the parking lot after Berg made the decision to play elsewhere -- but Berg said the team was not sympathetic to his situation once he injured his shoulder playing for the lower-tier team. Berg said he told Niagara about the injury and the team subsequently cut off communication.

The commissioner of the CHL, David Branch, did not respond to several interview requests by ESPN.com, but a spokesman for the league did provide this statement on his behalf, made when the suit was originally filed:

"In terms of the class action that was filed today in Toronto, the CHL, our member leagues and teams will vigorously defend ourselves against this action which will not only have a negative effect on hockey in Canada but through all sports in which amateur student athletes are involved."

Though Charney would like to see the case consolidated and heard in Ontario, his legal team is prepared to go to Alberta and Quebec as well. This process could be a lengthy one, however. Class certifications can take more than a year to decide, and Charney hopes that issue is resolved within the year.

His lead client, Berg, just hopes to see players regain some of the rights he feels they have lost due to the league's institutional discrimination.

"I think this is a really good point to go forward from in changing a culture that is putting down the players," Berg said. "This lawsuit will help players gain more and more rights and we're hopeful that we can change it from a culture that is putting down the players to one that is raising players up."

http://espn.go.com/blog/nhl/post/_/id/34346/lawsuit-seeks-to-have-junior-players-paid-minimum-wage

[TOMapleLaughs]

The Berg kid sounds like a coached stooge. 8 games? Grow a pair kid, you didn't make it, just like the thousands and thousands before you.

[Standing_Tall#37]

I dunno, you look at a team like PG, their arena can hold 5,500 roughly, so if all home games were to sellout, that's a max revenue of about 2.7 million/year. That's before arena costs, travel, upkeep, taxes, wages for staff at all levels, equipment. If you pay each player minimum wage, it's going to drive teams like this out of business. I'd say maybe give the players a % of profit share. That way maybe the kids can pocket a couple grand/month while having most expenses paid for.

[goalie13]

If this lawsuit succeeds, wouldn't it apply to all junior age leagues and not just the CHL? Those kids are the same age, just playing in a different league, at a different level.

Imagine if teams like the Saanich Braves, Coquitlam Express or Powell River Kings had to pay the players wages. I bet they would have to fold. Heck, I don't even think the majority of CHL teams could afford it.