Pat Fitzgerald urges against union

[ABQCOWBOY]

Updated: April 5, 2014, 10:54 PM ET
By Adam Rittenberg | ESPN.com

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald is finally talking to his team about the unionization push and outlining why players should vote against forming a union later this month.

"I believe it's in their best interests to vote no," Fitzgerald said Saturday following a team practice. "With the research that I've done, I'm going to stick to the facts and I'm going to do everything in my power to educate our guys. Our university is going to do that. We'll give them all the resources they need to get the facts."


Click on link below to read the entire article:
http://espn.go.com/chicago/college-...rges-northwestern-wildcats-players-vote-union

 

[peplaw06]

Fitzgerald is not only a member of the American Football Coaches Association, but he was elected to the board of trustees in 2012. Ironic no?

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Comments from some of the players were also very interesting, I thought.

 

[peplaw06]

Yep, it's the typical anti-union media blitz for you guys. Get someone who is part of another union to say, "hey, y'all don't need this union, we can work this out ourselves." Then get someone who could be a part of this union to say, "I don't know what a union would do to help me." Then you use that to say, see, they don't need no union. Unions ruin everything. blah blah blah...

It's nothing new, and it's not particularly interesting.

Hey, have you been reading up on how screwed the players got in the most recent NFL CBA?

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Yep, it's the typical anti-union media blitz for you guys. Get someone who is part of another union to say, "hey, y'all don't need this union, we can work this out ourselves." Then get someone who could be a part of this union to say, "I don't know what a union would do to help me." Then you use that to say, see, they don't need no union. Unions ruin everything. blah blah blah...

It's nothing new, and it's not particularly interesting.

Hey, have you been reading up on how screwed the players got in the most recent NFL CBA?

Well pep, nobody here told these players what to say in that article. In fact, the University has specifically said that none of the people covering this story can even make comment on the details because they are still being discussed with their legal teams. I don't think anybody is doctoring what is being said by the players or Fitzgerald, obvoiusly.

But, you are entitled to your own opinion so if you would rather believe that the fix is in, I guess that's OK too.

 

[peplaw06]

I notice you didn't comment on Fitzgerald's membership in AFCA.... now that's interesting.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I notice you didn't comment on Fitzgerald's membership in AFCA.... now that's interesting.

Why would I? The AFCA doesn't hurt him, other coaches, the game of Football or anything else, so far as I know. Why would I make comment on his affiliation with the American Football Coaches Association? If you find that interesting, that's cool. Whatever peeks your interest I suppose.

 

[peplaw06]

Why would I? The AFCA doesn't hurt him, other coaches, the game of Football or anything else, so far as I know. Why would I make comment on his affiliation with the American Football Coaches Association? If you find that interesting, that's cool. Whatever peeks your interest I suppose.

Oh, but you know that the CAPA is hurting Kain Colter, other players, the game of football and other things, when it's barely off the ground? Yeah, ok.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Oh, but you know that the CAPA is hurting Kain Colter, other players, the game of football and other things, when it's barely off the ground? Yeah, ok.

No. I'd say you know that. I've never once mentioned the CAPA, with regards to Colter or anybody else. You're reaching here. Your throwing out thing that have never been said and trying to attribute them to me. I'll allow this only so far. Again, I never said anything about the CAPA, just as I never felt the need to comment on the AFCA.

 

[peplaw06]

I just think it's a tad hypocritical that a coach who's a member of a union, and is in a leadership position in said union, thinks players shouldn't be in a union. You didn't specifically mention the CAPA, but the article you posted in the OP does. Don't act like you're surprised CAPA is a topic in this thread.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

Yep, it's the typical anti-union media blitz for you guys. Get someone who is part of another union to say, "hey, y'all don't need this union, we can work this out ourselves." Then get someone who could be a part of this union to say, "I don't know what a union would do to help me." Then you use that to say, see, they don't need no union. Unions ruin everything. blah blah blah...

It's nothing new, and it's not particularly interesting.

Hey, have you been reading up on how screwed the players got in the most recent NFL CBA?

Yep, it's the typical anti-union media blitz for you guys. Get someone who is part of another union to say, "hey, y'all don't need this union, we can work this out ourselves." Then get someone who could be a part of this union to say, "I don't know what a union would do to help me." Then you use that to say, see, they don't need no union. Unions ruin everything. blah blah blah...

It's nothing new, and it's not particularly interesting.

Hey, have you been reading up on how screwed the players got in the most recent NFL CBA?

yep, union busting 101.

It seems to me that the coach should not be saying ANYTHING. He is pretty influential in their lives and telling them to vote no could sway the vote.

 

[Doomsday101]

yep, union busting 101.

It seems to me that the coach should not be saying ANYTHING. He is pretty influential in their lives and telling them to vote no could sway the vote.

Why the union people are telling them what to do and how to vote. They should know the other side of the coin acting as if being a union member and an employee has no downside to a college student athelte is a crook.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Trevor Siemian opposes union
ESPN.com news services Updated: April 10, 2014, 5:10 PM ET

Northwestern's Trevor Siemian said Wednesday it was wrong for former quarterback Kain Colter and other players to explore unionization without first taking their concerns to their coach and administrators.

"I'm treated far better than I deserve here," Siemian said. "Introducing a third party or somebody else, especially when our main goals when this began ... there were issues with the NCAA that we thought we could address, and [unionizing] was one of the ways to do it. Nothing had been exhausted from within the school. Myself included, nobody ever addressed Fitz or Dr. Phillips about these issues.


http://espn.go.com/chicago/college-...n-criticizes-former-qb-kain-colter-union-push

 

[Eric_Boyer]

I just think it's a tad hypocritical that a coach who's a member of a union, and is in a leadership position in said union, thinks players shouldn't be in a union. You didn't specifically mention the CAPA, but the article you posted in the OP does. Don't act like you're surprised CAPA is a topic in this thread.

The AFCA is a labor union?

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

The AFCA is a labor union?

I don't think so but I see no value in arguing the point.

 

[Eric_Boyer]

I don't think so but I see no value in arguing the point.

I do, as it renders his question absurd

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

Why the union people are telling them what to do and how to vote. They should know the other side of the coin acting as if being a union member and an employee has no downside to a college student athelte is a crook.

There is a point in there somewhere although not sure how "crook" made it into the conversation. Owners usually don't want unions for one reason and one reason only, they can no longer take advantage of the workers.

 

[Eric_Boyer]

There is a point in there somewhere although not sure how "crook" made it into the conversation. Owners usually don't want unions for one reason and one reason only, they can no longer take advantage of the workers.

theere is a reason unionization is way way down. It is because it is bad for business owners. collusion to artificially raise labor costs harms the owners, the consumers, and ultimately the workers.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

theere is a reason unionization is way way down. It is because it is bad for business owners. collusion to artificially raise labor costs harms the owners, the consumers, and ultimately the workers.

perhaps but as Bill Maher said last week or so, it used to be the largest US employer was GM and paid an average of 50 an hour in today's dollars, now it is Wal Mart paying the equivalent of 8.00 an hour and even though it's biggest seller is food supplies, the majority of its employees earn so little, they are on food stamps.

When college bball players say they go to bed hungry at times, there is something wrong given the schools make fortunes off the tots

 

[Eric_Boyer]

perhaps but as Bill Maher said last week or so, it used to be the largest US employer was GM and paid an average of 50 an hour in today's dollars, now it is Wal Mart paying the equivalent of 8.00 an hour and even though it's biggest seller is food supplies, the majority of its employees earn so little, they are on food stamps.

When college bball players say they go to bed hungry at times, there is something wrong given the schools make fortunes off the tots

the union was very much a part of the demise of GM, which is my point. Owners don't want to see unionization because it harms the viability of their business

When college bball players say they go to bed hungry at times, there is something wrong given the schools make fortunes off the tots

the guy that said this has tattoos that would cost thousands of dollars to aquire. I find his position laughable.