Catherwood LibraryILR School

In the midst of controversy regarding the political statements made by star NFL players during the playing of the national anthem at football games, owner and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones, has come under fire by labor unions for threatening to bench players for allegedly disrespecting the United States. Local 100 of the United Labor Unions has formally filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board claiming that Jones is violating the Cowboys players’ rights by inflicting job-related punishments on them for engaging in concerted activity, which is protected by the NLRA. A debate regarding this filing comes from a lack of evidence that Jones has fired players for engaging in concerted activities; however, union spokespeople assert that any form of punishment for players’ expression of free speech constitutes a labor rights violation. Following up to this claim against Jones, the NLRB will be investigating whether Jones actually violates the NLRA in how he operates the Cowboys to determine whether a settlement or trial will be necessary.