NYT: New Head of N.F.L. Union Gets to Work Right Away

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/sports/football/17union.html

By JUDY BATTISTA
Published: March 16, 2009

DeMaurice Smith was so unfamiliar to N.F.L. players when they began the search for their new union executive director that a little more than 12 hours after his election, the union president Kevin Mawae joked that players were still trying to figure out how to pronounce Smith’s first name.

But Smith had already moved past the introductions Monday and was about to tackle his job. He planned to call Commissioner Roger Goodell and he said he hoped that would serve as the start of negotiations toward a new collective bargaining agreement — the most critical item on Smith’s agenda.

The 2009 season will be the final one played with a salary cap unless a new deal is negotiated before the start of the 2010 league year next spring.

“There isn’t a day where I don’t hope for peace,” Smith said in a conference call Monday. “At the same time, there isn’t a day we won’t prepare for war. I hope our discussions with the owners are both early and fruitful. It’s my sincere hope we can come to an agreement extremely quickly so everybody knows this game can continue.”

Smith staked out a populist position for negotiations almost immediately, linking well-compensated players with the hourly workers who direct traffic and sell hot dogs on game days as people who would lose out on paychecks if owners locked out players in 2011.

FULL story at link.