Remembering Gene Upshaw

The last thirty years haven't exactly been kind to the labor movement. It's been a story of slow death, with decades of falling union numbers, stagnant wages and disappearing pensions--all signs pointing toward total oblivion. It's been the era as former UAW President Doug Fraser put so aptly, "The one sided class war."

That's why it's so important for anyone who wants a fighting labor movement, to take a moment and remember the late president of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), Gene Upshaw. Upshaw died on Wednesday at age 63 of pancreatic cancer. In addition to a storied Hall of Fame playing career with the Oakland Raiders, Upshaw headed the NFLPA since 1983. When Upshaw started, the average NFL salary was $112,000. Today it is more than $2 million. Of course the game has exploded with cable television and publicly funded stadiums turning revenue streams into floods. But Upshaw led victorious fights at the negotiating table for free agency and higher wages against the wealthiest, most well-connected and most conservative ownership class in sports. Dave Meggyesy, former NFL player who headed the West Coast office of the NFLPA until his retirement last year, said to me yesterday, "I worked with Gene for twenty-five years. We did hundreds of team meetings together and so well complimented each other. I knew intimately how good a leader he really was, how much he cared for the players and how strong and tough, relentless really he was to 'make it right' for the players. We shared that vision, we would do whatever it took until the last man standing."

The great criticism against Upshaw was that he and the union didn't do enough to help retired players. In a charge led by Mike Ditka--an anti-union zealot--they said the union was allowing former players, broken down by the game, to live penniless and destitute. I have written about this before and I find these charges to be without merit. It's like blaming an oil workers union for high prices at the pump. Yes, the way some former players live, old and broken before their time, is a sin. But to put that on the feet of Upshaw and the union, is simply wrong. As former NFLPA President Troy Vincent pointed out to me, the last collective bargaining agreement saw pensions for players who retired before 1982 increased 25 percent. After 1982, they went up 10 percent.

For people disabled by the game has seen annual benefits rise from $48,000 to $224,000. For non-football injuries, the rates have gone from $9000 per year in 1982 to $134,000 by 2000. Upshaw "has done an excellent job," NFL player Mike Minter said a year ago to ESPN "You've got a lot of older guys who are hurting and it seems like we're not taking care of them. But where we started, when the man took the job, to where we are today, it's unbelievable. For anybody to say that this guy is not doing a great job, doesn't know." Robert Smith, the former Minnesota Viking who was their team union rep for seven years said on ESPN yesterday, "My criticism of Gene was that he didn't defend himself more forcibly."

Well, now Gene Upshaw can't defend himself at all so I will do it now and proudly. His legacy is about showing that solidarity and collective bargaining actually work. The greatest tribute to Upshaw may have been this off-season when the NFL owners voted unanimously to rescind the most recent collective bargaining agreement. The owners, a band of hostile brothers with more factions than the old politburo, had actually united in fury that Upshaw had pulled too much money out of their billion dollar pockets. The rest of the labor movement should take note, and give due to a man who did right by his players and his sport. There are lessons here in how to turn around the "one sided class war" and winning back the wages and benefits torn from the working people of this country. As Meggyesy once said to me about their organizing style, "We're athletes. And we just really hate to lose."

Comments (10)

1. Politically, the sports unions have always, I've thought, been a LOSER for the union movement.

   It's hard to work up sympathy for a strike by a bunch of "workers" whose AVERAGE pay is more than a lot of medium-sized business CEOs or even more.

   As Mr Zirin noted, average pay is now TWO MILLION....so the next strike will look like a bunch of "Wobbly Millionaires"!

   Posted by Maskdelta at 08/22/2008 @ 11:02am

2. I can't really feel bad for football players. You are striking because yo aren't making enough money even though you are making 2 million a year? Jesus. Come on. They don't know what it is to be a normal working stiff.

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 08/22/2008 @ 2:25pm

3. Posted by 2HAPPY at 08/22/2008 @ 1:50pm

   I've been to France it's beautiful. Where in France is he going?

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 08/22/2008 @ 2:27pm

4. actually the NFL union is considered the weakest of the players unions. Myabe Zirin didn't notice but they don't have guaranteed contracts. did you catch that? NFL players don't have guaranteed contracts. ...yes they make good money overall these days but not in comparison to the other unions when you consider the amount of revenue that they take in and that players- don't have guaranteed contracts. you also might have noticed that the NFL is very strict in terms of player on field rules etc. (I am sure if you compared baseball and basketball salaries to 1983 the disparity between eras would be even greater- and they have guaranteed contracts)

   I am not sure what Zirin is talking about: Gene Upshaw had a bad reputation even in the sports media world (not filled with leftists) for basically being a weak leader who was more or less in bad with management (or at least not getting all that he could from them). the idea that he should not be responsible for retirees is also absurd, but one that he put forward.

   if you noticed, there hasn't been much of an outpouring of grief in the media- even though he has run the union for 25 years. sorry to say it but the fact that he has passed away will probably in the long run be good for the union- and the retirees.

   Posted by cbm17 at 08/22/2008 @ 2:46pm

5. Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/22/2008 @ 3:45pm

   Can you send me to Hawaii?

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 08/22/2008 @ 3:53pm

6. I'm trying to save up to go to Europe sometime toward the end of this year or the beginning of next year. Hopefully that happens. I want to go to Paris, Lucern or somewhere in Ireland. I can't decide.

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 08/22/2008 @ 3:54pm

7. Posted by JOMAMMA at 08/22/2008 @ 4:08pm

   I have been to Paris and Lucern I just want to go back. They were both amazing and I would love to explore them more. I would like to see China, Japan, Australia and many other places in the east. I would love to go to India. New Zealand is high on my list too. Luckily I am only 21 so I have a lot of time to travel. I have been all over the US now it's time to see the rest of the world too.

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 08/22/2008 @ 4:28pm

8. Posted by 2HAPPY at 08/22/2008 @ 6:06pm

   Haha yeah. Tell him to visit the catacombs of Paris. Really interesting.

   Posted by Cccomfo1 at 08/22/2008 @ 6:21pm

9. hey, i've been to paris:

   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris,_Ontario

   oh, look, "the prize winner of defiance, ohio" was filmed there, whatever that is.

   Posted by frosty zoom at 08/23/2008 @ 02:28am

10. "and I promise you..those of us who fly regularily NEVER honk in support of the union pilots..we curse at them..."

    I fly regularly, and I support union pilots as well as stewards/attendants/people on the plane and mechanics. If I get grounded I consider it a small price to pay for knowing others are out there fighting for better wages and benefits, as well as the ever intangible dignity. Sure it's a pain, but so it goes.

    And honestly, I get a good kick out of uptight anti-democracy people who hate unions getting delayed.

    Posted by onthehelm at 08/23/2008 @ 09:41am