Wait, J.J. Putz Supports Card Check?
Huffington Post reporter Sam Stein points out that the Major League Players Association, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, is stumping for card check (or, to use the Orwellian nomenclature of our friends in organized labor, the "Employee Free Choice Act") with ads in Politico, The Hill, and Roll Call featuring MLB stars like Mark Teixeira and Jimmy Rollins.
The Major League Baseball Players Association is one of the strongest unions in the country in addition to being a member of the AFL-CIO. And as part of the ad, some of the best-known names in the game, including three players who are participating in the fall classic -- Jimmy Rollins, Mark Teixeira and Shane Victorino -- pitch the societal benefits of stronger labor organization.
"[A]ll Americans should have the same opportunity we've had -- to be able to join a union without being fired and to negotiate with their employers without being penalized," their statement reads. "Today, our country is facing some tough times. Health care costs are skyrocketing. Families are losing homes. Savings and retirement income are disappearing overnight. Now more than ever, we need a strong union movement to protect our jobs, our pensions, and our future. The Employee Free Choice Act simply guarantees a level playing field for all workers. It makes sure everyone plays by the same rules. That's as important in the workplace as it is in baseball."
The print ads ran on Wednesday in The Hill, Roll Call, and Politico. The players who signed a statement in support of EFCA are as follows: Heath Bell, Dave Bush, LaTroy Hawkins, Torii Hunter, John Lannan, Andrew Miller, J.J. Putz, Jimmy Rollins, Mark Teixeira, Justin Verlander, Shane Victorino and Adam Wainwright.
Here is the ad. And note that, like those baseball cards included in early 1980s Wonder Bread packages, the union has scrubbed all logos from helmets, jerseys, and hats:
