USFL Unionized! USFL players agree to Unionize, and the league is not happy about it
The USFL did not want their players to unionize, but that did not happen! According to Sportico.com, the USFL players voted Monday to appoint the United Steelworkers as their exclusive bargaining representative. The unionization vote prevailed by a ratio of more than 2-to-1.
The USW-backed USFL players union is expected to start bargaining on a labor contract once this week’s election results are officially certified by the National Relations Labor Board. All USFL players, roughly 370, were offered the chance to vote on unionization, a move that hasn’t been opposed by USFL parent company, Fox Corp.
What does that mean?
The union seeks to increase player compensation and expand benefits so that they’re more closely aligned with XFL 3.0, which is expected to pay its players slightly more than the USFL’s $45,000 active roster salary, according to Yahoo Sports.
The difference in compensation packages potentially impacts the market as the leagues compete for top talent. It remains to be seen if both leagues can co-exist in an already competitive entertainment space, with FOX and NBC Sports partnering with USFL while ESPN is set to broadcast XFL games starting next year.
With the XFL coming next year, Hopefully the USFL will be able to stay around. The players definitely can benefit from this experience.
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