There is a
clause in the NFLPA collective bargaining agreement that prevents the players from going on strike and the owners cannot lock out the players.
Section 1. No Strike/Lockout (pp22): Except as otherwise provided in Article 47 (Union Security), Section 6, neither the NFLPA nor any of its members will engage in any strike, work stoppage, or other concerted action interfering with the operations of the NFL or any Club for the duration of this Agreement, and no Clubs, either individually or in concert with other Clubs, will engage in any lockout for the duration of this Agreement. Any claim that a party has violated this Section 1 will not be subject to the grievance procedure or the arbitration provisions of this Agreement and the party will have the right to submit such claim directly to the courts.
The players cannot walk out or strike to show support for the locked out NFL officials ... or can they?
According to 29 U.S.C. § 143 : US Code - Section 143: Saving provisions:
...nor shall the quitting of labor by an employee or employees in good faith because of abnormally dangerous conditions for work at the place of employment of such employee or employees be deemed a strike under this chapter.
If the players feel that the conditions on the field are made unsafe by having scab officials on the field then the players can walk off the field and not be considered to be on strike. Having coached football at the youth level of the game I can attest to how important it is to have qualified, trained and competent officials on the field. One blown call can win or lose a game. That same blown call can cause injuries. Combine that with the speed at which the NFL game goes and you have a recipe for disaster with scab officials in place. It is not about wins and losses. This is all about player safety and the players have every right to walk off of the field if scab officials are calling the game.
While it will pain me to do this, I am standing in solidarity with the NFLRA and I will not watch my beloved Packers play until this labor dispute is resolved.
Tell Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL's owners to end the use of scabs and bring back the league's experienced officials.