Tom Brady is Lucky That He is A Union Member [View all]

[louis c]

Whether or not you are a Patriots' Fan or you hate the fact that they win all the time, you have to admit that the Brady Deflategate saga was quite a lesson to many people on the advantages of being in a union and working under a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Take, for instance, the players involved with "Bountygate". The New Orleans players that were suspended had all of their punishments dramatically reduced, or, in some cases, completely vacated. The coach, Shawn Payton, worked for management and was, in essence, an employee at will. He had no recourse because he had no employee rights. Therefore, he lost a full year of work, his salary and a hefty fine.

This should be a lesson to everyone in the work-place. Being a union member and working under a CBA, you can only be disciplined for "Just Cause" and not because someone in management thinks you are "generally aware" of another's misconduct, if the misconduct isn't even proven to have taken place in the first instance.

So, whether you work for $20 million a year or $20 thousand a year, only unions give you rights in the work-place.