AFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

[divvydan]

Re: AFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

Forgive my ignorance, but whilst there is the general notion that 'all players get a pay rise' isn't the extra 20% cap space at each clubs discretion and won't it likely end up being gobbled up by the high end talent or recruiting blokes in?

Or are current contracts held to ransom and whatever the previous signed on figure is has to be adjusted by 20%? ie If Harry Highpants signed on last year for 4 years at $400k, does the remainder of his contract automatically adjust to $480k initially and then by the incremental 1% or so increases thereafter?

Some contracts will have a clause in there anticipating some sort of increase from the new CBA and will go up 20% as a result, however it's not an automatic thing. If there's no clause in the contract then they stay as they are and the extra money just becomes available to use in order to re-sign existing players or chase new ones.

[The Adelaide Connection]

Re: AFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

Some contracts will have a clause in there anticipating some sort of increase from the new CBA and will go up 20% as a result, however it's not an automatic thing. If there's no clause in the contract then they stay as they are and the extra money just becomes available to use in order to re-sign existing players or chase new ones.

So really if the AFLPA had all of the players interests in mind, they would have negotiated that any increase was automatically applied to all players current contracts so that they all got the 20%. If my industry union or whatever negotiates a % increase to wages they don't pick and choose who gets the extra cash and have some workers getting their extra slice of the pie and also another worker on the same tiers extra slice of pie (while they get none).

The reality is that players in the top bracket will get a nice boost to their money bins, but the bottom rung will be unlikely to see any benefit at all.

On a tangent, do we know if Tom Boyd's contract had the CBA clause written into it?

[Ozza]

Re: AFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

So really if the AFLPA had all of the players interests in mind, they would have negotiated that any increase was automatically applied to all players current contracts so that they all got the 20%. If my industry union or whatever negotiates a % increase to wages they don't pick and choose who gets the extra cash and have some workers getting their extra slice of the pie and also another worker on the same tiers extra slice of pie (while they get none).

The reality is that players in the top bracket will get a nice boost to their money bins, but the bottom rung will be unlikely to see any benefit at all.

On a tangent, do we know if Tom Boyd's contract had the CBA clause written into it?

Its not really apples and apples though. These footballers have player agents/managers to work on their contracts, and the nature of their work is contract to contract.

I would certainly hope that Tom Boyd doesn't have the CBA clause written into it - and his example is a good one to illustrate circumstances where it is better that the 20% is an increase to the cap - and not to just be a 20% across the board pay rise.

The AFLPA have clearly put in some steps to raise the 'minimum wages', and are also looking after match payments for those players who are regularly the travelling emergency or held over players.

[The Adelaide Connection]

Re: AFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

Its not really apples and apples though. These footballers have player agents/managers to work on their contracts, and the nature of their work is contract to contract.

I would certainly hope that Tom Boyd doesn't have the CBA clause written into it - and his example is a good one to illustrate circumstances where it is better that the 20% is an increase to the cap - and not to just be a 20% across the board pay rise.

The AFLPA have clearly put in some steps to raise the 'minimum wages', and are also looking after match payments for those players who are regularly the travelling emergency or held over players.

I know it is a long bow to draw between professional sporting contracts and standard workplace, but it is rather insulting that players like Dangerfield (who sit on the AFLPA) flagged industrial action and sit downs, whilst the reality is that they were only really fighting for their own interests. It would really impact a player like Dangerfield but not so much 75% of players on the lists. The rise should have been a blanket rise to all players existing contracts.
I'd like to see the AFLPA required to have equal representation across each pay bracket. The majority are, or were, high money earners at their respective clubs.

For the record the board consists of:
Paul Marsh

Matthew Pavlich (President)

Leigh Montagna

Patrick Dangerfield

Rory Sloane

Daisy Pearce

Scott Pendlebury

Sam Docherty

Phil Davis

Easton Wood

[Bulldog4life]

Re: AFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

Its not really apples and apples though. These footballers have player agents/managers to work on their contracts, and the nature of their work is contract to contract.

I would certainly hope that Tom Boyd doesn't have the CBA clause written into it - and his example is a good one to illustrate circumstances where it is better that the 20% is an increase to the cap - and not to just be a 20% across the board pay rise.

The AFLPA have clearly put in some steps to raise the 'minimum wages', and are also looking after match payments for those players who are regularly the travelling emergency or held over players.

It would be absolutely crazy if it did.

[divvydan]

Re: AFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

The only players who would have had a CBA type agreement are those who re-signed late last year or this year. The whole problem is that the CBA is for 2017-2022 but we're already halfway through the 2017 season and this should've been resolved a year ago. So what happened at the end of last year is that clubs had to renegotiate contracts not knowing what the salary cap for 2017 was going to be, with there being the issue of large fines/draft penalties if clubs go over the cap.

The AFL had advised clubs to make the assumption of a 10% increase this year when renegotiating contracts so I imagine many of the new contracts would've had a base with that 10% in mind and then an extra stipulation that they get extra if the new CBA allows for it.

[westdog54]

Re: AFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

I know it is a long bow to draw between professional sporting contracts and standard workplace, but it is rather insulting that players like Dangerfield (who sit on the AFLPA) flagged industrial action and sit downs, whilst the reality is that they were only really fighting for their own interests. It would really impact a player like Dangerfield but not so much 75% of players on the lists. The rise should have been a blanket rise to all players existing contracts.
I'd like to see the AFLPA required to have equal representation across each pay bracket. The majority are, or were, high money earners at their respective clubs.

For the record the board consists of:
Paul Marsh

Matthew Pavlich (President)

Leigh Montagna

Patrick Dangerfield

Rory Sloane

Daisy Pearce

Scott Pendlebury

Sam Docherty

Phil Davis

Easton Wood

I get where you are coming from but the simple fact is that these guys are all on individual contracts, and for the most part the CBA looks at circumstances going forward rather than improving upon what is already in place for individual players.

As to the question of representation, its worth remembering that this is the executive. I'm speculating here but you'd probably find that each club would have a delegate or two that would meet with the executive fairly regularly. In any representative body you want your best people in important positions.

Given that Pavlich is the only player not currently listed on the board, you'd think that there'd be a decent amount of turnover and that there would be succession planning in place for players they think would make good executives.

[Ozza]

Re: AFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

I know it is a long bow to draw between professional sporting contracts and standard workplace, but it is rather insulting that players like Dangerfield (who sit on the AFLPA) flagged industrial action and sit downs, whilst the reality is that they were only really fighting for their own interests. It would really impact a player like Dangerfield but not so much 75% of players on the lists. The rise should have been a blanket rise to all players existing contracts.
I'd like to see the AFLPA required to have equal representation across each pay bracket. The majority are, or were, high money earners at their respective clubs.

For the record the board consists of:
Paul Marsh

Matthew Pavlich (President)

Leigh Montagna

Patrick Dangerfield

Rory Sloane

Daisy Pearce

Scott Pendlebury

Sam Docherty

Phil Davis

Easton Wood

I'm sorry - but I couldn't be further from agreeing with you on this. I think the suggestion that it benefits the Dangerfield type of player and doesn't benefit 75% of players is not right at all. Making the overall pool of funds bigger benefits all players. They've also brought up the minimum wage, put more into the retirement fund, and added payments for emergencies.

There are always going to be players that are paid considerably more than others. Chances are that the likes of Franklin, Boyd and Dangerfield - who signed lucrative, multi-year deals back 3 and 4 years ago - would not immediately benefit from the CBA - whereas the players who have signed in the last year or so, would likely have had it captured in contracts.

Economics aside - I think the members of the executive are, at least on what I've seen of them, pretty genuine characters who would also be genuine in representing the best interests of all the players current and future. Look at the list - they are all already well paid established players, many of which won't see many years of this new CBA anyway - I don't believe they would give up their time to represent the players with it being only about self-interest.

[ledge]

Re: AFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

I guess they are like a union you pick your reps at your workplace and from that the the reps vote in the best reps they want to represent them in negotiations.
We have about 8 reps at work and from that pool maybe four go into EBA negotiations while the others stick to the normal union rep items.
All these players would have been voted in by the players to represent them so it's not a matter of them choosing themselves to do it.

[GVGjr]

Re: AFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

To get a greater slice of the pie for the players ALPHA has conceded greater media access to players for those coughing up the extra cash but with all the mental health issues that we know of are the people they are supposed to be representing actually ready for the 24/7 scrutiny?

[Bornadog]

Re: AFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

To get a greater slice of the pie for the players ALPHA has conceded greater media access to players for those coughing up the extra cash but with all the mental health issues that we know of are the people they are supposed to be representing actually ready for the 24/7 scrutiny?

I think the biggest issue is the social media. I see The Bont got rid of his Twitter account a few weeks ago.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: AFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

I think the biggest issue is the social media. I see The Bont got rid of his Twitter account a few weeks ago.

I don't like that he's had to. But I'm happy he and hopefully all the other men and women get rid of it too.

[Ozza]

Re: AFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

I think the biggest issue is the social media. I see The Bont got rid of his Twitter account a few weeks ago.

Bevo said in the Cloke press conference that unless the players were making a $$ out of their social media accounts, then he thinks they shouldn't have them. He mentioned it again yesterday. Seems Bont took it on board around the time of the Cloke press conference. Good on him.

Years ago (think it was early 2011) on a night where a handful of us had dinner with Rocket - I remember him saying about social media (and this is before Twitter existed) that he had told the players he reckons they are crazy to been on Facebook and those sort of things

[AndrewP6]

Re: AFLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement Discussion

Bevo said in the Cloke press conference that unless the players were making a $$ out of their social media accounts, then he thinks they shouldn't have them. He mentioned it again yesterday. Seems Bont took it on board around the time of the Cloke press conference. Good on him.

Years ago (think it was early 2011) on a night where a handful of us had dinner with Rocket - I remember him saying about social media (and this is before Twitter existed) that he had told the players he reckons they are crazy to been on Facebook and those sort of things

Twitter was launched in 2006, so if that conversation was around 2011, it was well in use by then.