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Both times hes left empty.
It was War Emblem in 2002. On Saturday, it was California Chromes turn
to lose the Belmont after capturing the Kentucky Derby and the
Preakness.Canadas largest private-sector union, which is trying to
organize major junior hockey players across the country, is scheduled to
meet on Monday with Ontarios minister of labour to discuss the working
conditions faced in the Canadian Hockey League by its 1,700 mostly
teenaged players.
Jerry Dias, Unifors president, said he plans to ask Ontario Labour
Minister Kevin Flynn to establish a task force charged with scrutinizing
the business of junior hockey.
Dias told TSN that when he met with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne three
weeks ago at Queens Park, Wynne brought up the issue of working
conditions in junior hockey with him. Dias said Wynne told him she is
interested in learning more about whether players get a fair share of
the games profits.
Flynns spokesman Craig MacBride declined to comment.
Wynnes spokeswoman Zita Astravas said both the premier and Flynn have
already met with Dias.
"Discussions covered a wide range of topics," she said. "Unifor is an
important partner and our government looks forward to a positive
relationship with labour."
Two years after a similar attempt to organize CHL players fizzled out,
Unifor is trying again. The union, which represents about 300,000
workers in various industries, says major junior players are underpaid
and exploited by the owners of junior teams that have become hugely
profitable in recent years.
The CHL says thats not true. Players dont receive more compensation
because the leagues consider them student athletes, said CHL
commissioner David Branch. Many players are also eligible for valuable
scholarship programs when they finish playing junior hockey, he said in
an interview.
Dias said Unifor staff have spent the past few weeks trying to determine
how governments in the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, Michigan and
Pennsylvania -- states where eight of the CHLs 60 teams play -- view
major junior players.
Canadian students who attend U.S. schools, such as the University of
Michigan, obtain student visas to travel across the border. But NHL
player agent Anton Thun said that since OHL players have "P1" work
visas, its unclear how Branch and other league officials can consider
those players as student athletes.
"I dont profess to know the immigration laws," Branch said. "I dont know
what you need to facilitate a player playing in the U.S."
Thun said the three major junior leagues in Canada are desperate to keep
their player costs down at the same time as the leagues collective
profits have surged.
"These leagues have gone from being mom and pop businesses in the 1980s
to hugely profitable money-making private businesses that sell millions
of dollars in tickets, hundreds of thousands of dollars in jerseys and
sponsorships and TV rights. The truth is junior teams are no longer what
they say they are."
Most CHL teams are private companies and dont disclose their finances,
though Branch said roughly one-third of teams lose money. He declined to
provide any estimates on how much money cash-rich or cash-poor teams
generate.
The Kitchener Rangers, who are publicly owned, play in a city with aa
population of 219,000. Henry Anderson Colts Jersey. In August 2013, the team reported total revenue of $6.2 million for
the previous season, up from $5.6 million. The Rangers sold $470,000
worth of team merchandise alone.
One of the lures of playing major junior hockey is the chance to earn a
scholarship that can later go to pay for a players post-secondary
education. The packages can add up to more than $40,000, depending on
how long a player plays in the CHL.
Thun said a union might help spur a discussion about simply paying
players that money in cash.
"Why not just give it to them, and let them and their families decide
whether to invest it, or spend it on a car, or something else that they
want or need," Thun said.
Branch, however, said the parents of players have been supportive of the
scholarship packages, even though it expires if a player doesnt go to
school within 18 months of their junior career.
In a focus group of about 16 families of OHL players that was conducted
five years ago, most parents said they supported the time limit, Branch
said.
"What if the kids indiscriminately spend the money, what are they left
with?" Branch said. "Parents have suggested there is a value to putting a
framework in place to encourage players to go on to a post-secondary
education."
Branch said hes unsure what it might mean for teams if they were forced
to begin paying a minimum wage to players.
Unifors Dias said an average 40-hour work week adds up to about 2,000
hours a year. If players in Ontario were paid the minimum wage of $11
per hour for half the year, it would work out to about $11,000 per
player, or at least $220,000 a year for each team.
Its unclear how much teams now pay for players, but in recent years, the
OHL paid players $55 a week. The league recently introduced new
guidelines where teams re-imburse players for expenses instead of paying
them a set weekly amount.
Not everyone would embrace the concept of a union.
Bob Stellick, a sports marketing executive whose son Robert played two
years in the OHL, said many parents would shrug off the idea of a union.
"I dont think $50 a week really makes any difference for most families,"
said Stellick, whose Toronto company has produced public service
announcements for the CHL. "The key for parents is the type of
experience their son gets. If the player doesnt play to family
expectations, isnt drafted, gets traded once or twice, and doesnt
complete high school, then yes the family would be sour."
Award-winning journalist Rick Westhead is TSNs Senior Correspondent for
TSNs platforms - TSN, TSN Radio, TSN.ca and TSN GO. He has covered a
wide variety of sports issues for a slate of leading publications, among
them the Toronto Star, Bloomberg News, Canadian Press, Globe and Mail,
New York Times, and Saturday Night Magazine. Earlier this year, Westhead
was part of a team that won the prestigious Project of the Year at the
National Newspaper Awards. He was also honoured with the Toronto Stars
Reporter of the Year Award in 2007.
Share your comments with Rick Westhead on Twitter at @rwesthead.
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