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Dr. Boyce Watkins; Why the NBA Players Are Going to Get Body Slammed During Lockout Negotiations…

May 25, 2011 by  
Filed under News, Opinion, Sports, Weekly Columns

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(ThyBlackMan.com) Tuesday, the NBA players’ association filed an unfair labor practices complaint with the National Labor Relations Board in order to stop owners from locking out the players.  They claim that NBA team owners have not bargained in good faith and that their financial demands have been excessive.  Also, they argue that the owners have gone around the union in order to directly negotiate with the players themselves.

The union is seeking  “an injunction against the NBA’s unlawful bargaining practices and its unlawful lockout threat.”

The current collective bargaining deal comes to a close on June 30.  Both  sides are working to negotiate a new deal before the deadline.  Both sides are going to meet next month, but they are far apart when it comes to how the money is going to be divided.

The union is accusing the league of making irrational demands of the players with regressive “takeaway” clauses that the owners know the union does not support.  They also accuse them of using “take it or leave it” negotiating tactics in order to get what they want.   The union is arguing that the owners are engaging in these tactics to delay action so the current agreement can expire.  At that point, the players will be forced to accept regressive demands in order to end the lockout.

There is no merit to the charge filed today by the players association with the National Labor Relations Board, as we have complied — and will continue to comply — with all of our obligations under the federal labor laws,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said. “It will not distract us from our efforts to negotiate in good faith a new collective bargaining agreement with the players association.”

One challenge that the NBA players have in these negotiations is the fact that far too many players really need their paychecks.  Similar to the situation in the NFL (which is much worse), owners always have a huge advantage.   It’s easier for them to collude and form a unified front, allowing them to take advantage of players, who have a diverse set of needs and perspectives.   During the last breakdown in labor negotiations, I was impressed with how NBA Commissioner David Stern insisted that the owners always vote unanimously on every issue.  If one side is unified and the other is not, it’s not going to be a fair fight.

As a result of their sophisticated (and abusive) negotiating tactics, NBA owners were convincing winners during the last round of negotiations.  Given that far too many players are financially stretched with payments on several homes, cars and everything else, it’s only a matter of time before they start to buckle.  In Negotiating 101, the side that can be the most patient has a greater likelihood of winning.  Billionaires can usually wait a while in order to get what they want.

Staff Writer; Dr. Boyce Watkins

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition.  For more information, please visit http://BoyceWatkins.com.


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