Poll of the Day > Do NBA players really need a union? They make 5.15 million a year on average.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Sure, the number is inflated because star players get paid way more than not star players, but in a profession where people make millions a year playing basketball I'm not sure where the worker abuse is.

Edit: Sorry that the number in the topic title and the poll are different, the original 5.15 million was from 2013, I got a a more recent amount and changed the number in the poll but forgot to change the one in the topic title.
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How much do the owners make?
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HelIWithoutSin posted...

How much do the owners make?

Billions.
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FrndNhbrHdCEman posted...

HelIWithoutSin posted...

How much do the owners make?

Billions.

In revenue sure, but take home profits? No
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I mean I guess in theory. If you think about it, they are laughably replaceable. Lebron James has a high school degree and that's it, if he never made it to the NBA, he'd be working at Popeye's probably. Idiots who like sports will watch college and even high school level to entertain their minimal minds, so it's not like professional is the only way for them to get their fix. I'm sure there would be people who would play in the NBA for minimum wage if given the chance.
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Says the giant orange weirdo whose youtube stardom aspirations were dashed when they changed their monetizing policy.
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HelIWithoutSin posted...

How much do the owners make?

Not much more than some of the players in many cases, not that a salary comparison is an actual argument.
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HelIWithoutSin posted...

Says the giant orange weirdo whose youtube stardom aspirations were dashed when they changed their monetizing policy.

Not true, I've come back repackaged as a meme channel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQDQg0CkUEE" data-time="
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Everyone should have unions, collective bargaining is pretty much the only weapon against economic abuse there is... aside from eating the rich.
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TheOrangeMisfit posted...

Not true, I've come back repackaged as a meme channel

Lebron should consider changing careers.
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Lokarin posted...

Everyone should have unions, collective bargaining is pretty much the only weapon against economic abuse there is... aside from eating the rich.

Yeah basically. The owners would have unchecked power if they didn't have anyone to bargain against when a new CBA needs adopting.
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There's no real reason to believe otherwise, apart from class warfare and general envy.
I suppose they don't really need a union, but there's not so much harm in having one.

Ogurisama posted...

In revenue sure, but take home profits? No

Mark Cuban may have had his start elsewhere but he's only worth as much as he is now because of the Mavericks.
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Collective bargaining
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Sports needing unions? Nope. Amazon needs a union. Tesla needs a union. Wal-Mart needs a union. Sports don't.
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Unions have done some good and although they get a bad rep and rightfully so in some cases our work environment would be totally different if not for unions especially for working class hourly paid people.

Keep in mind prior to the 20th century, Americans workers were treated awfully horrible and it wasn't until FDR's New Deal (Social Security, Minimum Wage, Job Insurance (unemployment), AFDC (Aide To Families With Dependent Children and FHA Government backed home loans) all helped usher in what we today refer to as the Middle Class and if not for FHA loans, family home ownership would have never happened.

Reasons to thank a union whether you're a union member or not:

Week Ends Off - Although now thanks to more and more states passing Right To Work laws, most Americans now work more weekend than at any other time.

Paid Vacations - Take time to thank your union for the paid vacation time that made it possible to rest and relax with your family. THIS HOLD TRUE FOR NON UNION MEMBERS AS WELL WHO ALSO BENEFIT FROM UNION PERKS.

Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) - Unions spearheaded the fight that resulted in the passage of this law that gives eligible employees the right to take up to 12 weeks of job-protected unpaid leave annually for family and medical reasons.

Breaks at WorkIncluding Lunch - Although they are now federally mandated, breaks haven't always been an employee right. Studies have shown, breaks provide important rest periods that improve safety and productivity.

Sick Leave - Without paid sick leave, many workers couldn't afford to take the time necessary to recover from illnesses and accidents. IN SOME RTW STATES, EMPLOYERS PENALIZE EMPLOYEES TO MISSING WORK DUE TO ILLNESS.

Paid Holidays - Labor Day is one of nine paid holidays offered by MOST EMPLOYERS in the U.S. As you spend time with family and friends this UPCOMING Labor Day, thank A UNION. MANY OF US WHO ENJOYED THE 4TH OF JULY OFF CAN THANK A UNION.

40-hour Work Week - Americans once worked 60 hours a week or more. It wasn't until the 1950's that 40-hour work weeks and 8-hour work days became standard across America thanks to union negotiations. AGAIN NON UNION MEMBERS BENEFIT FROM THIS AS WELL.

OT Pay - Workers use to work in excess of 40 hrs per week but they were not paid for OT so thank a union. Now we're seeing more and more cases of wage theft (for both hourly paid and salaried employees) among employers. McDonald's, Fed Ex, Bank Of America, Wells Fargo, Jimmy Johns, WalMart, Google, Chipotle, UPS, JP Morgan Chase, are just a few companies who have had wage theft claims filed against them.

8-Hour Work Day

Child Labor Laws

Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA)

Wrongful Termination Laws

Worker's Compensation (Worker's Comp)

Unemployment Insurance

Pensions

Workplace Safety Standards and Regulations

Employer Health Care Insurance

Employer Dental, Life, and Vision Insurance

So while Unions have their good and bad, they have also been instrumental in helping workers get a better deal not a fair deal but a better deal.

The ultimate problem with a union is when one of two things happen. The union either gets in the pocket of the company or is corrupted, or they follow the path of 'Got Mine' and screw new hires by giving them less then the old timers and allowing the old timers to keep their benefits while not extending it to the next generation.
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TheOrangeMisfit posted...

Lebron James has a high school degree and that's it, if he never made it to the NBA, he'd be working at Popeye's probably.

Cause he's black he's gotta work at Popeyes?
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Can we ban all bold like we did all caps?
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TheOrangeMisfit posted...

I mean I guess in theory. If you think about it, they are laughably replaceable. Lebron James has a high school degree and that's it, if he never made it to the NBA, he'd be working at Popeye's probably. Idiots who like sports will watch college and even high school level to entertain their minimal minds, so it's not like professional is the only way for them to get their fix. I'm sure there would be people who would play in the NBA for minimum wage if given the chance.

Yeah Joe Blow who lives like 2 blocks down the street has the tools to play basketball as well as LBJ. Part of the reason these players get paid so much to play is that they are hard to find, if everyone could play basketball like LBJ then obviously the skill would be far less impressive.

It's the same thought process of actors, musicians etc... they get large chunks of money because in most cases their work generates large chunks of money and you can't just replace them. If you are a record label and you have Adele as one of your artists if she loses the ability to sing you can't just search around and find another Adele. You can find cheap imitations but they are just that cheap imitations.

Not to mention when talking about basketball players the best ones are coveted by multiple teams so even if one team thinks "LBJ is overpaid" there are 20 other teams that would happily pay him that money or more.
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