NFL Players May Have an Ally in Their Protests: Labor Law
The New York Times reports that, as National Football League team owners consider President Trump’s call to fire players who refuse to stand for the national anthem, they have stumbled into one of the most consequential debates in today’s workplace: How far can workers go in banding together to address problems related to their employment?
Reporter Noam Scheiber writes that, since Trump’s call for firing players, their demonstrations now could constitute labor activity that’s federally protected, explains Matthew Bodie, a law professor at St. Louis University who is a former attorney for the labor board.
“If they’re standing up for other players’ rights to kneel in the context of their job and keep their job, it seems to me to be protected concerted activity,” Bodie said.