Magraken: MMAFA Announces Teamster Support @ ABC

Magraken posted it to Twitter and a few others have picked it up. Mixed Martial Arts Fighter's Association has received the backing of the Teamster's Union. This was announced by Rob Maysey (macedawgg on the UG) at the national Association of Boxing Commissioners meeting.

 

https://twitter.com/erikmagraken/status/626514449378054144

 

www.combatsportslaw.com

Will be very interesting to see the impact. Teamsters can make things interesting, to say the least.

Edited to add link to tweet and website

Phone Post 3.0

You guys are fast! Phone Post 3.0

Don't start calling us "fast men"--- The "top men" shirts just came back from the screen printer. 

With a business model that needs cooperation of stadium staff across North America the Teamsters could prove quite the adversary for the UFC Phone Post 3.0

I saw someone post this on twitter and it's true- Culinary 226 has been a huge pain in the ass for ZUFFA- When you compare their size and influence to the Teamsters, it's not even close.

Solidarity is the way that fighters will receive compensation. I'm not going to start complaining about everything I see wrong (not right now anyway) but I'll say this- Things are out of proportion, and a correction is necessary. 

In the US and Canada, the Teamsters have approx 1.4 million members. Many arena staffs are teamsters members. If you're running an arena, are you going to rock the boat for an organization that might run a show every year (if that)? When you have concerts, sporting events (for the ones with pro teams especially) running without a hitch, why muddy the water for the next time you're sitting at the table together?

downperiscope -


In the US and Canada, the Teamsters have approx 1.4 million members. Many arena staffs are teamsters members. If you're running an arena, are you going to rock the boat for an organization that might run a show every year (if that)? When you have concerts, sporting events (for the ones with pro teams especially) running without a hitch, why muddy the water for the next time you're sitting at the table together?

I suspect they can bring a lot of weight in helping balance the current landscape between fighters and promoters. This is an interesting development. Phone Post 3.0

The UFC has never publicly said they are against a union (obviously in a capitalistic sense, they would be dumb not to be).
There's no reason for the Teamsters to do anything. If the fighters want to hold a vote, nothing is stopping them. The problem they have is that in a union/association with collective bargaining, the most visible fighters would probably have to take a pay cut so the bottom 300 fighters or so would be guaranteed at least 25k per fight.

Another thing to keep in mind, if a company is investing in growth and infrastructure, that doesn't count towards revenue. So while the UFC is definitely keeping a larger than 50% share of the profits, once you factor in reinvesting I'm not positive that it is as bad as some people claim (80% is a commonly thrown around figure).

People just seem to forget that there is a give and take with negotiations, so just because a union or association is formed, that doesn't mean that the floodgates open and everyone will get 100k per fight. I mean, as the NFL ownership proved during the '87 lockout, people will take 2nd rate entertainment over no entertainment.

So while a union would be good for transparency, I don't think that it will be the paradigm shifting event that people expect when it happens. Keep in mind that the NFL has a collectively bargained agreement but the players can be cut at will, their contracts are not guaranteed, and the courts have ruled that their supposedly guaranteed bonus money is recoupable. Phone Post 3.0

Spinning Sh#* is well--Spinning Shi%. . .

Does Tom Cruise take a pay cut?

Tom Brady? 

Clayton Kershaw? 

In MMA, however, the tops stars took HANDSOME pay cuts with the glorious new #Reebok Deal--collective bargaining with the added benefit that one side of the table bargained with no representation for the other. . . !


Brian O. Shepherd @BShepherd1107

@jonfitchdotnet we've got your back here in Vegas @SEIU1107 the fastest growing union in the country. @MMAFA

 

Macedawgg -


Spinning Sh#* is well--Spinning Shi%. . .



Does Tom Cruise take a pay cut?



Tom Brady? 



Clayton Kershaw? 



In MMA, however, the tops stars took HANDSOME pay cuts with the glorious new #Reebok Deal--collective bargaining with the added benefit that one side of the table bargained with no representation for the other. . . !





Baseball doesn't have a salary cap which is a rarity in the US. MLB is the closest thing in sports to an actual free market.

In every other league in the US, the stars take monster hits to their salary for the lower and mid level guys.

Are you seriously asking if Tom Brady who is scheduled to make $7 million dollars next year while Cam Newtown will make $30 million took a pay cut?

Tom Cruise makes the bulk of his money as a producer not as an actor (where he takes a pay cut to keep the production under budget) but that has fuck all to do with a sports union. I could just as easily ask what union Floyd belongs to that got him all that money and act like that had any relevancy.

In terms of pay, sports unions/associations are fantastic for the bottom 60%, don't really do much for the middle class, and hurt the top 10%.

There are other benefits that a union gives you, like health care, a pension, representation during discussions with management, etc...

However most people on this board seem to only care about the money and that is why I said that it isn't going to be some paradigm shifting event. The people that will benefit most from collectively bargained salaries will be people that they've never heard of. Phone Post 3.0

Yes, I am seriously asking that.

Are you seriously asking if Cam Newton gets $30 million with no association?

Does Hollywood have a salary cap?

D-level response Spinning.

Macedawgg -


Yes, I am seriously asking that.



Are you seriously asking if Cam Newton gets $30 million with no association?



Does Hollywood have a salary cap?



D-level response Spinning.

Keep moving those goalposts.

The argument isn't whether or not unions are "bad", the argument was whether or not they hurt the top earners. The answer more often than not, is that they do.

Cam Newton makes 4x what a 4x Super Bowl winning QB does. That's not because he's more valuable. In fact Tom Brady is somewhere around the 17th highest paid quarterback in the league.

LeBron James in the first year of a brand new contract made less money than Kobe Bryant, Joe Johnson, Carmelo Antonio, Amare Stoudemire, and Dwight Howard. That's probably because those people are all better than him right? It has nothing to do with his salary being kept low because of a collectively bargained agreement. Phone Post 3.0

ErikMagraken - With a business model that needs cooperation of stadium staff across North America the Teamsters could prove quite the adversary for the UFC Phone Post 3.0
Indeed. This could turn out to be quite interesting Phone Post 3.0

.

Spinning Shit - 
Macedawgg -


Yes, I am seriously asking that.



Are you seriously asking if Cam Newton gets $30 million with no association?



Does Hollywood have a salary cap?



D-level response Spinning.

Keep moving those goalposts.

The argument isn't whether or not unions are "bad", the argument was whether or not they hurt the top earners. The answer more often than not, is that they do.

Cam Newton makes 4x what a 4x Super Bowl winning QB does. That's not because he's more valuable. In fact Tom Brady is somewhere around the 17th highest paid quarterback in the league.

LeBron James in the first year of a brand new contract made less money than Kobe Bryant, Joe Johnson, Carmelo Antonio, Amare Stoudemire, and Dwight Howard. That's probably because those people are all better than him right? It has nothing to do with his salary being kept low because of a collectively bargained agreement. Phone Post 3.0


LOL!



No, the answer is not they more often than not.



In fact, all of the concessions are made by those not yet in the leagues, or new to the leagues.



Not in football, not in baseball, not in Hollywood, not in Hockey. . .



Back to that fantastic collectively bargained by one party Reebok deal--who suffers the most?

downperiscope -


Don't start calling us "fast men"--- The "top men" shirts just came back from the screen printer. 

I don't know why but I laughed hard at this. Phone Post 3.0

Rob, appreciate you posting here. Can you shed any further light on the nature of the affiliation between the MMAFA and Teamsters? Phone Post 3.0

The Teamsters support our efforts 100%, as we announced yesterday Erik! 

We wouldn't have announced that otherwise. 

Macedawgg -


The Teamsters support our efforts 100%, as we announced yesterday Erik! 



We wouldn't have announced that otherwise. 

Of course Rob. I appreciate that. Just wondering if there are further details of the affiliation that can be shared or an official press release from either MMAFA or the Teamsters on the topic. Phone Post 3.0