For immediate release
February 10, 2011
Let Us Play, Let Us Work Panel Highlights Far-Reaching Impact of NFL Lockout
Panelists Call on Owners to Do Right by Players, Workers, and Fans
Washington, D.C. American Rights at Work and the NFL Players Association convened a panel today at the National Press Club to discuss the immediate threat an NFL lockout poses to players, workers, small businesses, and communities. "The threat of a lockout is more than the potential loss of a football season," said American Rights at Work Executive Director Kimberly Freeman Brown. "Based on the NFL’s own numbers, the owners’ decision to lockout the players would affect 150,000 jobs."
The panel, moderated by Kimberly Freeman Brown and NFLPA Assistant Executive Director of External Affairs George Atallah, featured Baltimore Ravens cornerback Chris Carr, retired NFL player Brian Mitchell, concessions stadium worker John Marler, and acclaimed sports columnist Dave Zirin.
"Most players just know football and just want to play football. We’re here today for the workers working in the concession stands, the bars, and the restaurants," Carr said. "Those are the people it’s really going to affect."
John Marler, a worker at Detroit’s Ford Field and member of UNITE HERE Local 24, outlined the devastating impact a lockout would also have on stadium workers across the country–and their communities. "Detroit has been hit hard by recession, and a lockout will devastate my coworkers and the city’s economy," Marler explained. Zirin likewise emphasized the broader implications of a lockout for all workers: "We’re watching the most powerful men in America tell workers to work longer for less pay. This is huge for everyone."
Watch UNITE HERE member John Marler and fellow stadium workers speak out.