The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the NFL and the
NFLPA yesterday reached a settlement that will release $30M in
back pay, bonuses and interest to players prevented from
returning to the field immediately after the end of the '87
strike. The settlement -- the largest back pay award in the
NLRB's history -- resulted from the owners' decision following
the strike to not allow players who had returned to their teams
on Thursday, October 15, to play in games the following Sunday.
The owners had imposed a Wednesday deadline for players to
report, and when the players missed the deadline, the owners
staged games with replacement players (Steve Berkowitz,
WASHINGTON POST, 9/13).
THE NFL CAN COVER IT: NFL VP of Communications Joe Browne
said that the $30M had already been set aside as part of the
$200M collective bargaining agreement with the players that was
reached in January 1993 (N.Y. TIMES, 9/13). NFLPA Assistant Exec
Dir Doug Allen: "It's a real step forward for us. It's long
overdue." But former Redskin Jeff Bostic said while the
settlement would be "welcome," the deal only compensated the
players with simple interest, not compound interest: "It's
another case of this union fumbling the ball" (Vito Stellino,
Baltimore SUN, 9/13).
