March 24-30, 2011 P 2 M P ' F Press Understanding the In 2006, then-NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliablue, and the NFLPA Executive Director, the late Gene Upshaw, struck Sia deal that the NFL S Players believed was 1 most beneficial to them. This deal how- ever did not sit partic- ularly well with the NFL owners, who wanted to ensure they would receive a Cleveland Browns linebacker Scott Fujita, left, and greater portion of the NFL Players Association Executive DirectorNFL's revenues in DeMaurice Smith, walk to an NFL/NFLPA mediation years to come. In session at Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service 2008, the NFL owners headquarters in Washington. NFL players have been opted out of the col- by Ayinde Waring Decertification. Lockout. Rookie wage scale. 18 game sea- son. $1 billion payout. For much of the first quarter of 2011 (and all of 2010 for that matter), these words or phrases have become unavoidable points of conversation when talking about the National Football League. And still with all of the rhetoric proliferating the air- waves on sports talk radio shows, social media and television (net- work and cable), many of the mil- lions of NFL fans (and some employees for that matter) are still unclear what this all means. The Players NFL Players Association (NFLPA)Executive Director, DeMaurice Smith; NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell; 32 NFL Owners; NFL General Counsel, Jeff Pash; U.S. District Court Judge David Doty; federal mediator George Cohen How Did It Come To This? The current labor issue has been brewing for quite some time. lective bargaining agreement with the players union, citing high operation costs and a desire to have the players con- tribute more to managing costs. As a result, there was a salary cap-less season in 2010, which may seem beneficial to the players in the short term, but actually allowed the own- ers to gain leverage. In 2009, DeMaurice Smith, a Washington attorney, was elected executive director of the NFLPA, and immediately tried to get the owners to honor the agreement signed by Upshaw and Tagliablue. Negotiations dragged on for months, as both parties attempted to sway public opinion, but no agreement was reached. Insiders and observers believed the owners were positioning for a lockout that the owners could afford to sit it out, but would force the players to cave-in because of financial pressures. The strike sea- son of 1987 was cited as precedent. On Jan. 18, 2011 the union filed a collusion claim against the own- that need to be followed 1. All unsolicited photos require a $10 photo charge for each pic- ture. Photos can be paid by check, money order or credit card, 2. Pictures must be brought into our office to be examined for quality or emailed in a digital format of .jpg or .bmp. 3. Everyone in the picture must be named. 4. All photos MUST be received within 5 days of the event. NO EXCEPTIONS. 5. Event photos must be accompanied by a story/event synopsis including the 5W's of media: who, what, when, where and why. in addition to a phone number for more information. Call 634-1993 for more information! i3 1 JiIAiL A .D JIDJ..IAL J, J PLy IJM I r uiL) rrL / Irr L'DJr' /' SiL^-yy'J ^y^ NFL Labor ers for what it viewed as a lack of movement in free agency. Many players were without contracts heading into the off-season and the union believed the owners inten- tionally did not sign or re-sign players in an effort to save money and gear up for an impending labor lockout. On Feb. 18, federal mediator, George Cohen began working with the two sides in an effort to further negotiations. Several deadlines were extended, leading the public to believe that an agreement would be reached soon. But Cohen even- tually conceded to the media, "No useful purpose would be served by requesting the parties to continue the mediation process at this time." On March 1, in Minneapolis, U.S. District Court Judge David Doty ruled in favor of the players, stating that the NFL's contracts with the TV Networks for $4 bil- lion, even if no games were played in 2011, was "lockout insurance." Finally on March 11, the NFLPA rejected the owners' last proposal and decertified. An antitrust lawsuit would soon follow. What Are The Main Sticking Points? Many observers bring up the Dispute owners' call for an 18-game sea- son, instead of the current 16 (not counting playoff games), opposed by the players who cite safety issues and say it is essentially a pay cut. The stalemate, however, really comes down to two basic issues: The share owners would receive off the top of the estimated $9 billion in revenues that the League receives annually, and the issue of full disclosure of each team's audit- ed financial records. Under the old collective bargain- ing agreement, the owners received $1 billion off the top to offset oper- ating costs and expenses. The rest of the money would be divided between the owners (the League) and the players. Initially the own- ers wanted an additional $1 billion off the top, but according to both sides this number has decreased. The players association also wanted full disclosure of all finan- cial records for the teams and the owners flatly refused. Smith said the players were willing to give back an additional $1 billion off the top in exchange for an equity posi- tion in an NFL team or an NFL property. League owners balked at this proposal. Opportunities remain to participate in the city's budget community conversation Jacksonville residents are reminded that three Community Budget Workshops, which provide unique opportunities to actively engage in the fiscal year 2011-12 budget preparation process, still remain. Community Budget Workshops, facilitated by Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. (JCCI), allow citizens to become educated on the budgetary process and financial challenges, analyze city service budgetary information, speak directly with city depart- mental representatives about the services offered and provide feed- back to city leaders. An additional benefit for home- REMAINING WORKSHOPS Saturday, April 9, 9-11:30 a.n Clanzel T. Brown Community Cei 4545 Moncrief Road Saturday, April 16, 9-11:30 a.i Cecil Recreation Complex 13611 Normandy Blvd. owners who register for a work- shop will be a personalized analy- sis by the Budget Division of how their property taxes were affected by the adjustments that have taken place in the last two fiscal years. Like last year, data collected at each budget workshop will be compiled by JCCI, and a report highlighting the results of the workshop will be posted on www.myjaxbudget.com. Because seats are limited and vital information will be dissemi- nated to participants in advance, those interested in attending the workshops listed above must reg- ister in advance by visiting www.myjaxbudget.com or by call- ing (904) 630-CITY (2489). The fiscal year 2011-12 budget outreach plan also includes com- prehensive information regarding the City of Jacksonville's budget through a dedicated web- s i t e www.myjaxbudget.com. n. The site offers visitors enter, information about the city's'budget process, rev- m. enue and expenses. It also contains descriptions of internal and external serv- ices provided by city departments and divisions and includes information on their respective budgets for both the current year, as well as last fiscal year. S ~~ r ,. Toyota Motor Company Disrespects and Devalues the Patronage of their Black Consumer BY DANNY J. BAKEWELL, SR. Chairman, NNPA I have recently been shocked and appalled by ads that I and other Black publishers saw in several major newspapers (The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, etc.) confirming that Toyota spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to advertise in white mainstream daily newspapers "THANKING" their general market consumers for their loyalty and patronage to Toyota during their time of major controversy and concerns over the safety of Toyota's vehicles. Thanking their customers is a smart move on Toyota's behalf and one that I applaud. However, we can't overlook the fact that Black people represent almost 10% of Toyota's American market share, and with a $1.2 billion annual advertising budget it is not unreasonable for the Black Press to always expect to have a stake in Toyota's advertising (including Black advertising agencies). Nevertheless, Black newspapers were left off Toyota's latest marketing campaign, sending a clear and direct mes- sage that the Black consumer is still being taken for granted and Black people are still being disrespected and undervalued. This is disappointing behavior from a company who was all too eager to send us their press releases and ask us to write sto- ries and editorials to influence Black America to stay with them in their time of trouble. But now that Toyota's pain has been essentially eased (for now) by a report issued by the Federal Transportation Department and NASA that found no faults with Toyota's electronic accelerator controls, the Black press has once again been forgotten along with the Black consumer. Toyota should note that it is going to take more than a passing grade on a Federal Transportation report card to bring back the consumer safety confidence enjoyed (for years) by Toyota from American consumers prior to one of the largest vehicle recalls in U.S. history. So when the decision was made to advertise in mainstream newspapers from coast to coast "THANKING" their customers for their loyalty, where was Toyota's loyalty to the 10% of African- American consumers? DON'T WE ALSO DESERVE A GREAT BIG THANK YOU? Historically, there has always been an imbalance between what goes out of the Black community and what comes into the Black community relative to retail goods, services and representation. Despite the fact that the buying power of America's Blacks is reported to be roughly $1 trillion this year! And it is highly doubtful that Black-owned businesses will report revenue numbers that are the same and/or reap any of the benefits proportionate to our buying power. However, the question still remains, why is Toyota undervaluing the Black consumer and showing our community such blatant disrespect? Tried, True, and Tested the NNPA (Black Press of America) remains the gatekeeper for reaching the Black community. Corporations and advertising agencies wanting and needing to reach the African-American consumer must understand the relationship of the Black Press with Black people. They must remember to place their advertising messages on the pages of Black newspa- pers throughout America, and Black consumers will respond in kind (Black advertising agencies could help them with this). "Don't we also deserve a great big thank you?" The days of being silent and complaining among ourselves regarding these unethical and immoral business practices are over. When Toyota wanted our help, it had no problem seeking all 200 Black newspapers in America to do just that. Their mes- sage to Black people was PLEASE HELP US, WE VALUE YOUR BUSINESS. We do not want Toyota to use us for edi- torial coverage and then overlook us with their advertising dollars. Black newspapers are not afraid to demand fair representation and a seat to dine at Toyota's table, especially when their food is purchased with approximately 10% of Black consumer dollars. We are not interested in fighting with Toyota however, Toyota has enjoyed healthy African- American consumer support, and despite last year's set back we have remained loyal. If you want to thank Black consumers for our loyalty and keep our business, do it on the pages of the Black newspapers that Black people READ, RESPECT, TRUST AND OWN!! As Chairman of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, I represent 200 Black publishers throughout America. I am challenging Toyota's Chairman and CEO to do the right thing and meet with me to discuss the future of their relationship with Black consumers and whether or not we as Black newspaper publishers should continue supporting Toyota or should organize a campaign to take the African American's brand loyalty to Toyota elsewhere. WE WILL NOT BUY WHERE WE ARE DIS- RESPEC TEE) TH.\T IS PROMiSE' E ,ll l\ I ri A -Lc'II S' t1 lit C l itlCtC,/ il ,1 i .,I/ I ,"I.IaII_ al, PI 'II ih I ". b 1. ,7 1't ,-,I I -, II -i ,I IL a I/ io II ,lli, 'ill ll ic .l tllll\ l ../. .A l pa . ,; [* r -- * ,, .*.*. ~ -W *t ~ - The Jacksonville Free Press would love to share your event with our - tI/"/t*/ ". readers. We do have a few guidelines age s. erry s ree MiY -A71... MK TOYOTAH **d~m~iII .i' -' [ .' '. "- '" '- *:} .'*--" f^'. '- .": ;...'"*' ^:.' ;.. - ! ;. . ',.'. . ,i ".- !. r ~1 r i . " _