Well, here it is....I'm putting it on the net to develop comments
and interchange amongst the posters here. I hope everyone...management,
striking players and replacement players, as well as fans...post
your reaction and comments.
Side One
COULD YOU COUNT ON A GOOD JAI ALAI GAME THESE DAYS?
DON'T BET ON IT.
Wealthy Fronton owners are trying to remain open without the professional
jai alai players whom you've come to respect.
On April 14, they forced the International Jai Alai Players Association
to go on strike over management's unfair labor practices. Now
they are substituting inexperienced, scab players at your favorite
fronton.
This is unfair to fans, who expect to see good jai alai. And it's
unfair to the professionals who should be treated with the respect
they've earned.
Fans can help restore good sportsmanship to Jai Alai by refusing
to patronize the unfair Jai Alai frontons in Florida as well as
Connecticut and Rhode Island, until management agrees to negotiate
an end to the strike.
PLEASE BOYCOTT SCAB JAI ALAI
Thank you for supporting the International Jai Alai Players Association
International Union, UAW
The U.A.W. and I.J.A.P.A. are now united together in solidarity
Side Two
STRIKING PLAYERS OFFERED TO END STRIKE-MANAGEMENT REFUSED
The International Jai Alai Players Association has made "unconditional"
offers to return to the jai alai courts and end the strike but
management has refused. All striking players have the right to
immediate reinstatement to their jobs by federal labor laws because
they were forced on strike by jai alai management's unfair labor
practices. You are inconveniently being asked to cross a picket
line because of management's refusal to accept back all striking
players.
NOW WHO DO YOU THINK ARE THE "BAD" GUYS?
Jai Alai Players Fighting for Their Lives
We would like jai alai fans to take a moment to learn the true
facts about the strike by the International Jai Alai Players Association
(IJAPA). On April 14, 1988, approximately 500 jai alai players
in Florida, Connecticut and Rhode Island went out on strike in
protest over unfair labor practices, as charged by the federal
government's National Labor Relations Board. Most frontons reopened
shortly after that with rosters made up of unqualified amateurs
and few seasoned professionals.
Since jai lai came to the United States from the Basque region
of Spain in 1924, management has kept extremely strict control
over the players and their careers. They have done this through
several means of unfair labor practices which include forcing
players to sign unlawful labor contracts if they wish to play
jai alai in this country. These contracts contain clauses that
infringe on ther players' legal rights.
But jai alai owners pushed their control too far. An overwhelming
majority of players at the 14 frontons in the United States decided
that it was tim3e to fight back. So IJAPA was formed on March
6 with it's main purpose to insure that the players receive fair
representation.
A big problem faced by jai alai players in this country is the
lack of job security. It is commonplace for a player to find out
that his contract will not be renewed only 30 days before the
old one expires! Because there are only 8 companies that own the
14 frontons in the United States, it can be very difficult for
a player to find another job.
And if a player is blacklisted, as management often does, it can
be impossible! This is what happened in 1968 during another attempt
to unionize the players. By simply refusing to renew the players
contracts, management conveniently got rid of its problem.
Some people will argue that because many of the players are not
United States citizens, they should have no rights. But think
of the money these people generate in our communities. The players
live in this country, they buy homes, cars and pay taxes the same
as citizens do. This is a benefit to our economy.
Management has attempted to make this an American versus Spanish
dispute, however nothing could be further from the truth. We are
striking for the benefit of all players, the present and future.
Whether they be American, Spanish, French, Mexican or any other
nationality, we are fighting for everyone's rights. Why then did
management all of a sudden start promoting the sport as All-American
when they had it in their power to Americanize the game long ago?
They simply feared unionation by the Americans if they let the
ranks become dominated by the players in this country. Quite frankly,
there is just not enough talent among the inexperienced players
here.
IJAPA has strong American leadership. Over 85 per cent of the
union leaders are from this country. We are now affiliated with
one of the strongest labor unions in the world. On June 8 we joined
the United Auto Workers (UAW) to become the first group of professional
athletes to join a general membership union.
The players who are out on strike are fighting some very big companies.
Now it is time for jai alai fans to make a choice. On one side
there are billion dollar corporations that have been charged with
many wrong doings. They have violated the National Labor Relations
Act by threatening, intimidating and firing players. They deny
the players many important benefits. And now they are subjecting
you, the fans, to below par performances for two obvious reasons.
One is purely for the sake of their own bank accounts and the
other is that they simply fear losing total control of they players
that they now have.
On the other side there are about 500 men who are well over 100
days without pay checks. We are giving up these paychecks to fight
for what we believe in. We are not overpaid athletes fighting
for more money. Instead, we are fighting for a stop to the unfair
practices so we can bargain for better benefits. We are fighting
for the rights that every American worker is entitled to. We hope
after reading this you will choose to support us.
Please respect our rights to fight for our human dignity by boycotting
scab jai alai and not crossing our union picket lines until we
call the strike off. With your help, it will be soon.
Jorge "Lasa" Sotil
IJAPA, Vice President
