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Cleveland Gladiators players' strike causes forfeit loss to Pittsburgh Power

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  • Cleveland Gladiators players' strike causes forfeit loss to Pittsburgh Power

    CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A strike by the Gladiators players caused cancellation of tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Power at The Q.

    Pittsburgh, which had its team ready to play, won by forfeit. The Power (3-9) snapped a six-game losing streak.

    The Gladiators (6-6) have lost three in a row.

    The Gladiators are striking on behalf of the Arena Football League Players Union, which is seeking better working conditions from the league, backup quarterback Matt Bassuener said.

    Bassuener said that, to the best of his knowledge, the Gladiators are the only team carrying through with a strike this weekend. The strike is expected to end Saturday.

    "I don't think we're going to play tonight,'' Bassuener said in a phone interview with The Plain Dealer at 5:10. "I don't think it can happen. Obviously, there were negotiations between our attorneys and their attorneys this morning. We heard we might get calls. Then, our president came to meet with us and said that if anything hadn't been worked out by 2, it's actually going down.

    "As players, we committed to each other that, even at 2, if they want to come to the table and get a deal done last-minute and it's done by 5, we could still get there in time and be safe to play. But it's past 5, and I haven't hear anything, which pretty much makes it clear.''

    As of 5 o'clock, Gladiators players remained at their residences. Employees at The Q were preparing for a game; several said they "had no idea'' whether a game would be played.

    As of 6:10, there was no official word whether the game would be postponed. Power players were preparing as if everything was on schedule.

    "We don't know anything other than, we're supposed to play tonight,'' Power receiver Randy Hymes said. "We're getting ready for a game. We haven't interacted with any of the Gladiators players. They have not told us a thing.''

    An assortment of Gladiators personnel was in the hallway outside Cleveland's locker room. Gladiators coach Steve Thonn spoke with an official in an area off-limits to reporters.

    As of 7:15, The Plain Dealer had confirmed that Gladiators management did not pursue replacement players. Word in the building was that an announcement was imminent that the Power would win by forfeit. But Gladiators spokesman Phil Tesar said the team still was trying to round up its players.

    Starting quarterback John Dutton was one of several players at The Q, but he said he was there simply to speak with Thonn.

    "All I will say is, this is an unfortunate situation,'' Dutton said.

    Several dozen fans were in the stands. Pittsburgh players went through warm-ups.

    Bassuener, an interim executive vice president with the AFL Players Union, sent a letter to various media outlets today. In it, he said the union is focused on achieving a long-term collective bargaining agreement and recently offered a one-year interim deal that would result in net reduction in player compensation.

    But Bassuener said in the letter that “the AFL has shown a complete unwillingness to negotiate in good faith. The union has yet to receive a single piece of relevant financial information from the league through which to base our proposals.''

    The letter states that the union wants better safety on the field and to “solidify our union's ability to negotiate as partners to the league.”

    "I don't even want to be having to talk to you right now, because this is just an unfortunate situation,'' Bassuener said by phone. "But there comes a time when, if there's no progress being made, something's got to happen.''

    The Gladiators' strike caught Thonn off-guard -- at least publicly. He told The Plain Dealer by phone at 3:30: "I honestly don't know what's happening at this moment. I wish I knew more, but I don't. I'm supposed to be getting calls soon. If I had any insight, I would let you know.''

    Thonn said he was heading to The Q after the phone call.

    Gladiators quarterback John Dutton and receivers Robert Redd and Dominick Goodman could not be reached. Gladiators players spoke nothing of a strike to Thonn or the media this week.

    The Gladiators are owned by Dan Gilbert, whose Cavaliers ownership group bought them from Jim Ferraro in January. Neither Cavaliers President Len Komoroski nor Gladiators consultant Bernie Kosar could be reached.

    Bassuener said the Gladiators are striking on behalf of the union against the league, not Gilbert's ownership. Because the AFL has a single-entity ownership model, players technically are employees of the AFL, not the individual teams.

    "We love playing at The Q and would love to have the opportunity to continue to play at The Q, and all that comes with that,'' Bassuener said.

    Tangible labor unrest has hovered over the league since the hours leading to the AFL season opener between the Power and Orlando Predators. Players from both teams reportedly went on strike for less than a day; according to Bassuener, the strike never happened. Players from both teams were fired, Bassuener said, then told they could come back to play if they resigned from the union.

    A game was, indeed, played with some replacement players on both sides.

    "We've been trying to resolve this behind the scenes ever since, but it hasn't happened,'' Bassuener said. "We've gotten nowhere.''

    Bassuener said the timing of the Gladiators players' strike is in part tied to solidarity with Pittsburgh players, whom Bassuener said were treated unfairly during the opening-game off-field showdown.

    "We want to appeal to the fans and let them know that we love the fans,'' Bassuener said. "We hope to be back out playing soon. But tonight is about our safety and having a voice at the table with the Arena Football League. It has nothing to do with money.''

    Hymes said that, if Pittsburgh players had been consulted, they would have advised against a strike.

    "Our guys wouldn't have bought into it, because what happened the first time was ugly,'' Hymes said. "I would have told (the Gladiators), 'Do what you do best -- play football.'

    "Hopefully, the Gladiators will come to grips with the fact that God blesses you to play this game. And they need to think about the fans. The fans are expecting a game tonight, and if it's not played, you risk turning a lot of them off.''

    Tonight's game originally was scheduled to be televised by NFL Network. The league, in what appears to be a pre-emptive strike to a potential strike, decided Thursday to "flex'' the game, meaning it is not on the network.

    Arenafan.com reported that negotiations are ongoing as of 6, with nothing new. The league continues to reject an interim deal.

    A source familiar with the situation called it "an ill-conceived mess.''

    "This never should have happened,'' the source said. "If you think a one-team strike is going to have an impact, you're crazy.''


    By Dennis Manoloff, The Plain Dealer
    Trading for all Cleveland teams in Cleveland uniforms, Cleveland minor league affiliates & Columbus Bluejackets

  • #2
    I went to the game and it was really weird. We got news of the situation on the way to the game. I looked really stupid carrying my bag of mini-helmets and Bernie Kosar jersey, hoping to catch some autos. Oh, well!
    Trading for all Cleveland teams in Cleveland uniforms, Cleveland minor league affiliates & Columbus Bluejackets

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    • #3
      I read the article about the payscales/etc for Arena guys....those guys don't get paid ANYTHING to play. I don't blame them for going on strike.

      Collecting: Browns/Cavaliers/Indians GU/Autos,
      Ohio State Autos, Jamaal Charles GU/Autos,
      Johnson/Mears/
      Reutimann/Nadeau

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