Following a demonstration of unity at which he locked arms and knelt with his Dallas Cowboys players, Jerry Jones has stood firm in denouncing any perception of dishonoring the American flag or the national anthem. After speaking with Donald Trump, Jones has even stated that any player who protests inequality by kneeling or locking arms during the anthem “won’t play.”
Now Wade Rathke, chief organizer of Local 100 of the United Labor Unions, has filed a complaint alleging Jones violated the National Labor Relations Act by threatening to bench (or possibly cut) any Cowboys player who doesn’t stand for the National Anthem. The complaint, filed with the National Labor Relations Board, asks the board to “investigate preemptively in order to prevent illegal firings of players.”
“Jones through his efforts to bully his playing workforce is attempting to unilaterally establish a previously nonexistent condition of work,” Rathke wrote in his statement via the Star-Telegram. The crux of his argument is that the NFL has already created a workplace that does not require a player to stand for the national anthem, and that players have the right to act concertedly. By threatening their benching or termination, Jones has violated the National Labor Relations Act
In an interview with the Star-Telegram, Rathke explained his actions further:
“The point is he is threatening anybody and everybody. We are trying to send Mr. Jones a message that there is a law here. The law here is that you have the ability to act with your co-worker. You can’t just roll over someone’s rights when they are a worker. You can’t bully workers on the job. President (Donald) Trump might not get that. Jones might be confused. But these are workers with rights with the National Labor Relations Board.”
Meanwhile, the league is considering changing language in the games operations manual which states that players “must” stand for the national anthem, rather than “should.”
