Collective Bargaining & Labor Management in National Football League (NFL)

This article discusses the factors that the National Football League (NFL) should focus on the players based on their demands of increasing salary and increasing salary protection against the injuries. It also analyzes the issues specific to labor management and collective bargaining arose as a result of this issue. The article further explores whether the union and/or exclusive bargaining representatives related to the sport organization were effective in representing employees within the organization in relation to the issue. It also discusses the outcome of the organization’s decision and solution, meeting all key stakeholders’ needs with regard to labor management and collective bargaining. Finally, the article talks about the motivational theory followed and leadership behaviour model applied by the organization in addressing the potential labor concerns and whether or not the organization utilized the most appropriate theories and models for addressing potential labor concerns.

Lena L Powell
Management of Sport Organization
Collective Bargaining and Labour Management

1Collective Bargaining & Labor Management
The factors that organization should consider regarding the impact of its decisions on
labour relations
The factors that the National Football League (NFL) should focus on the players based on
their demands of increasing salary and increasing salary protection against the injuries. The
organization are needed to increase the provisions that the club provides for the player’s
equipment. The club established the pension plan for the players but they are unable to provide
all the demands of the labours as the implication of this pension system requires financial
security for the organization and the organization was lacking the financial resources due to
dealing with the cases filed against them. Thus at that time the organization was unable to
provide the services even after declaring them. Therefore the organization needs to look after the
sources for increasing the wages of the players and if they do not increase the provision for the
player’s equipment, then the team achievement will suffer Lee & McFarlin (2016). This is so
because without the proper equipment of players, the team will not be able to perform
successfully. Therefore I could analyse that the players were forced to take steps and file case
against the organization as whatever they declared they were unable to provide such services.
The pension scheme was essential for the players as they will be unable to play throughout their
life but the organization was only declaring about the pension system but was not providing any
services related to that. By declaring about the incensement in the salary they are unable to
increase the wages of the player this makes them disappointed with the organization.
The issues specific to labor management and collective bargaining arose as a result of this
issue.

2Collective Bargaining & Labor Management
The National Football League (NFL) faced problems regarding the salary management of
the players. The organization agreed to the demands of increasing the player’s salary and
developing the salary protection against the injuries. By agreeing to such demands, the
organization was not fulfilling the demands of the players this reflects the gaps in the
management of the organization as they are not able to fulfil their promises. As mentioned by
Abreu & Spradley (2016), in 1968, the owners of the NFL faced a lockout for which NFL was
forced to approve the collective bargaining agreement. This ended up established $9000 as the
minimum salary for rookies and $10000 as the veteran minimum players were also promised $50
for the exhibition game. Roach (2018) commented that the organization also faced problems
when the Supreme Court ruled that NFL did not have antitrust exemptions like other
organizations. This make the organization lacked the financial resources for meeting the
demands of the players regarding their equipment and salary management.
Analysing whether the union and/or exclusive bargaining representatives related to the
sport organization were effective in representing employees within the organization in
relation to the issue
The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) includes that during the stoppage of the
services for the players that is making improvements by providing the playing equipment that
will enhance the player’s performances. The organization is required to pay $60 million for the
benefits of the players. As mentioned by Finkel et al., (2018) the bargaining agreement states that
the players are required to be given 55% share of the revenues and for this the players staged a
57day strike. NFL is making changes related to the bargaining agreement with the players. The
NFL proposed the establishment of the pension plan but were not able to succeed in fulfilling the

3Collective Bargaining & Labor Management
demands of the players for increasing their salary or paying them for the stoppage of the
organizational games, supporting players with equipment and others (Abreu & Spradley, 2016).
The outcome of the organization’s decision and solution, meeting all key stakeholders’
needs with regard to labor management and collective bargaining.
The issues faced by the National football league resulted in filing the charges against
the National Labor Relation Board, suggesting that the union is not engaging into the good faith
bargaining and this reflected that the organization was not willing to participate in the bargaining
agreements. As mentioned by Lee & McFarlin (2016), the NFL then tried to meet the
requirements of the stakeholders by proper management of player and the collective bargaining
as the Master Stephen Burbank allowed NFL to collect $4 billion from broadcasting fees as a
form of "lockout insurance”(Ehrlich, 2018). These helped the NFL to find out the strategies for
fulfilling the revenue cost and the demands of the players. Therefore the organization are
unable to manage their stake holders which result in they are unable to find the proper
remedies of fulfilling the revenue cost and the player’s demands.
The motivational theory followed and leadership behaviour model applied by the
organization in addressing the potential labor concerns
The organizations have not demonstrated any instance, which showed that the
organization is not concerned for the players, thus it could be noted that the organization follows
the Maslow motivation theory regarding the player management that is the organization will
motivate the employees based on the physiological needs like hungers, thrust and sleep, the
safety needs involving the employee security, the social needs involving the employee
engagement, the esteem needs involving the self-respect and other’s esteems and the self-

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actualization that involves the desires for developing and realizing the entire potential. The
autocratic leadership style is followed by the NFL and this leadership styles states that leaders
makes decisions by not depending upon the employees suggestions. The NFL follows the
leadership style where the leaders make decision on their own and do not depend on any
suggestions of their players. The players are not involved in the decision making process of the
company. As commented by Roach, (2018), like in the football organization the coach are
needed to provide the direct instructions and any players should not have the audacity to violate
those instructions, these type of leadership are considered as the autocratic leadership style which
are also practiced in NFL.
Analysing whether or not the organization utilized the most appropriate theories and
models for addressing potential labor concerns.
The study finds out that the organization is not following the leadership styles like the
transactional leadership style as the organization manger have not introduced any reward
system for the employees for establishing the roles and responsibilities of each employee. This is
required for the organization to follow as the players are not at all satisfied with the management
of the organization (Finkel et al., 2018). This leadership style is important for addressing the
potential concerns of the players.

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References
Abreu, M. A., & Spradley, B. D. (2016). The 2011 National Football League Labor
Dispute. Sport Journal.
Ehrlich, S. C. (2018). A More Perfect (NFL Players) Union: Secret Side Deals, The NFLPA, and
the Duty of Fair Representation. Ohio NUL Rev., 44, 33.
Finkel, A. M., Deubert, C. R., Lobel, O., Cohen, I. G., & Lynch, H. F. (2018). The NFL as a
workplace: The prospect of applying occupational health and safety law to protect NFL
workers. Ariz. L. Rev., 60, 291.
Lee, J. S., & McFarlin, J. K. (2016). Sports Scandals from the Top-Down: Comparative Analysis
of Management, Owner, and Athletic Discipline in the NFL & NBA. Jeffrey S. Moorad
Sports LJ, 23, 69.
McFarlin, J. K., & Lee, J. S. (2015). Sports Scandals from the Top-Down: Comparative Analysis
of Management, Owner, and Athlete Discipline in the NFL & NBA.
Roach, M. A. (2018). Testing Labor Market Efficiency Across Position Groups in the
NFL. Journal of Sports Economics, 19(8), 1093-1121.