USL Players take step toward unionizing

Tony Rocha Returns To Austin Aztex
March 9, 2015
http://austinaztex.com/2015/03/09/tony-rocha-returns-to-austin-aztex/

Weird.
I'd have thought Rocha would be a player for Energy FC this season due to the affiliation.

 

Since he didn't sign with SKC, he can go anywhere he wants..

 

Just seems odd that that KC will still have "right of first refusal."

 

This IS the topic: How would unionizing affect draft pics from MLS?

 

That's MLS for you. The teams retain the rights to draftees for three years...

 

It'll certainly be interesting to see what a union could do for USL players and if the USL teams would use it to implement some MLS style olayer retention rules.

 

Going to guess that, as in most player unions, you're not actually a member of said union until you actually join it and the first step in this case would be becoming a player in the league.

The whole affiliation thing has caused some consternation among player agents and the MLSPU, because the guys being sent down to USL affiliates have been, AFAIK, actual MLS players and members of the union. So they're entitled to certain things per the CBA (and may be entitled to more things in the new CBA, we don't know), but if they're not in MLS, are those clauses (about per diems and travel and such) null and void?

But if a kid gets drafted by an MLS team and doesn't sign, who holds his MLS rights and for how long is a question for their CBA. If USL players unionize (not at all a straight-line process from idea to fruition), those players would be covered by the rules of that still-to-be-negotiated CBA. Once they actually become USL players and join that union.

As to the general point, of course the OP over-reacts. Someone says they want to unionize USL players, that does not mean "it looks like they're on the path to unionize." These are not easy things to pull off, especially when a whole lot of USL owners would likely be against it, as management typically is.

The "titile" that should have said it all should have been, "USL Players Union Envisioned By This One Agent."

 

Unless the USL players join MLSPA and MLSPA negotiates them to be covered by the MLS CBA, I doubt a USL CBA would impact MLS player retention rules since MLS won't be a party in a USL CBA.

 

Opportunism in professional soccer?
Sounds about right.

Kinda wish potential professional soccer players could join an inexpensive generic soccer players' union that would either represent them outright or influence basic standards at all levels. I was an AGMA (Amer. Guild of Musical Artists) member for years but many of my gigs were non-union, yet most companies tried to abide by most AGMA standards. The union was purposefully weak and companies could choose to work with the union out of their commitment to professionalism. Musicians understood the value of working for "union shops" but could still take other gigs without penalizing their status.

Back to soccer; this example comes to mind: http://www.oscn.net/applications/os...ype=caseGeneral&casemasterID=2109883&db=Tulsa

 

Not at all.

MLS teams could draft Messi (well actually probably not, but is almost as crazy as that).

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...onizing/?postshare=1121449638010251&tid=ss_tw

Wonder how this dynamic would play into the USL/MLS relationship

 

This is a positive step IMO. The NASL players need to do this as well.

 

Could be a fairly large step, tbh. At this point there is no reason for the league to recognize the union. All they have is card signatures for over 50% of current players, which is a significant difference than 50% voting for a union. If I'm the league, I wouldn't recognize them, kill as much time in the NLRB, then make them conduct a vote. That'll take several years to go through.. By that time, there will be an entirely new batch of USL players and the league will have more than enough time to scare the pants off the players and maybe get enough to vote against unionizing.

 

OK, see... MLS should create 20-ish unions, and USL creates 30-ish unions. At the end of each union season (whatever that is), the best USL unions become MLS unions, and the worst MLS unions become USL unions. All of these occur in specially-built "union-specific courtrooms," or whatever.

That is, of course, if the breakaway NAUL - NPUL - USAFU (the grassroots United States Association Football Unions) don't get started first. I hear that the NASL-Union is protesting the new standards being developed by the umbrella United-States-Union-Federation organization.

Can't wait to follow all this on the Entertainment and Union Programming Network.

OK, seriously, haven't read the original article, but the MLB-MiLB and NLH-AHL (and the newer NBA-NBAD) have had major-minor affiliations for decades. Ya' get's "loaned" to a lower league, you's follow's thos'e rule's. Even Jordan had to do the minor league stuff in hardball.