Canceling football and killing jobs? (E-action)

[Omaha Steve]

Take action here: http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=939

Incredible news! Yesterday, the AFL-CIO joined a huge coalition to deliver more than 100,000 petition signatures to Capitol Hill, urging Congress to maintain an extension of emergency unemployment insurance benefits for long-term job hunters. We’ll keep you updated on this critical fight.

If you care about jobs, here’s something else you should be worried about: the National Football League is in contract negotiations with its players and is getting ready to do a player “lockout.”

If that happens, players won’t be able to play, fans won’t have a football season and local economies that rely on football will be devastated—it’ll mean more people out of work.

Sign our petition: Urge the NFL NOT to lock out its players during 2011-2012 season: http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=939

Why is the NFL getting ready to lock out its own players and devastate its fans? One word: Greed.

It is estimated that a lockout would impact 150,000 jobs—and cause more than $140 million in lost revenue in each and every NFL city—some $4.5 billion across America.

If there’s a lockout, stadium employees will be jobless. Sports bars, police officers, restaurants, hotels and various support staff who work supporting the game also will be affected.

The NFL and team owners don’t care what a lockout costs communities and fans—they only care about their own profits. The NFL’s set to make billions of dollars, even without a football season. But if they do that, players and fans lose.

Do your part as a fan, and stand up for our communities. Sign our petition to the NFL: http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=939

The NFL’s greed is seemingly boundless—they are demanding a number of outrageous wage and benefit concessions without justification. Here’s just one example: the NFL wants to take ALL health care benefits from players and their families.

An average football player will work for only three and a half seasons—that’s their entire career. But the health impacts from playing can include a lifetime of pain or discomfort—and even brain trauma that leads to depression and suicide.

Stand up to the greed, and stand with the players. Sign our petition to the NFL.

How can the NFL make money without a football season? By rigging the system. They’ve already set aside $900 million that should’ve gone to players’ benefits to cover their costs for locking players out—and they’ve signed TV contracts that’ll pay out billions of dollars even if no football is played in 2012.

To save football next year, and to save jobs, we’ve got to take the NFL on and tell them locking out players and fans based on greed is unacceptable. If players and fans band together, we can shame them into doing the right thing.

Please stand in solidarity with the players. Sign our petition to BLOCK the lockout. Make your voice heard to save the sport that you love.

In solidarity,

Manny Herrmann
Online Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO

http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=939

[brewens]

1. If there is a lockout or strike I will be done! The last one was almost

enough to do it. I've never watched Major League Baseball since their last one.
Already I'm nowhere near the rabid fan I was back in the 80's. My main interest is fantasy football because I've been in the same local league since 1985. Screw up my fantasy football again you bastards and I'm through!