UFL players union files unfair labor practice charges

By Mike Florio

With the UFL’s players not yet willing to strike, the union representing the spring league’s players need to utilize other devices to put pressure on UFL management.

Today, they did.

The United Football Players Association has announced the filing of unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.

The UFPA makes the following allegations against the UFL:

(1) threatening to cut Players because of their participation in protected union activities; (2) cutting quarterback Quinten Dormady in response to his participation in protected union activities; (3) creating new rules regarding player discipline to discourage players from participating in protected union activities; (3) creating rules regarding player discipline that have a reasonable tendency to chill players from exercising their rights; (4) denying the union access to league facilities; (5) threatening to remove union representatives from areas to which the union has lawful access rights; (5) engaging in surveillance of player participation in protected union activities; (6) creating the impression of  surveillance with respect to player participation in protected union activities; (7) threatening to discipline players because of their participation in protected union activities; (8) failing and refusing to provide information requested by the union that is relevant and necessary to collective bargaining.

The UFL begins its second season in two weeks. There’s still no CBA in place. The players could, in theory, walk out. As best we can tell, there still seems to be no appetite for a strike.

So with the nuclear option not on the table, the union needs to pursue other strategies. For now, it’s a combination of making legal claims and continuing a P.R. push that, frankly, has yet to dramatically move the needle.

Maybe the NLRB filing will make that happen.