Local labor union files complaint against Jerry Jones' threat to players
Local 100 of the United Labor Unions filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board against Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday after the owner threatened to not allow players who protest during the national anthem to play, according to documents obtained by Clarence E. Hill and Drew Davison of the Star-Telegram.
The union, which represents workers in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, claims Jones violated the National Labor Relations Act and has asked the board to "investigate preemptively in order to prevent illegal firings of players."
A portion of the filing states:
The employer, evidenced by repeated public statements, is attempting to threaten, coerce and intimidate all Dallas Cowboys players on the roster in order to prevent them from exercising concerted activity protected under the act by saying that he will fire any players involved in such concerted activity.
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The Cowboys and the league declined to give any comment, according to ESPN's Todd Archer, but chief organizer Wade Rathke was open to explaining his reasoning for the complaint.
"You can't discipline somebody for something that is a right they have under the law, whether that discipline be termination or benching or giving a slap on the wrist or writing up in their files they've been a bad boy," Rathke said. "That's just not what they can do when it comes to concerned activities. I know in the modern age people think workers shouldn't have rights, but they still do.
"This union was offended by those comments. Mr. Jones just got carried away being a rich guy and there's no laws he has to respect."