Eller Invited to New York to Meet with NFL and NFLPA
Carl Eller, President and Founder of the NFL Retired Players Association has been invited to New York to meet with the NFL and NFL Players Association regarding retiree benefits in the collective bargaining agreement.
Online, July 18, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Carl Eller, President and Founder of the NFL Retired Players Association has been invited to New York to meet with the NFL and NFL Players Association regarding retiree benefits in the collective bargaining agreement.
The NFL Retired Players Association is the primary organization leading the charge in representing the retirees for their quest for improved pensions, disability and health care benefits.
Eller and other retirees have sued both the NFL and the NFL Players Association, complaining that they have illegally been left out of the latest talks after taking part in court-ordered mediation sessions earlier this year. They say both sides have also conspired to keep benefit levels and pension payments low in the new collective bargaining agreement.
With his name also on the still-pending antitrust lawsuit filed against the league, Eller was often present at early negotiating sessions. But the retirees ' role has been drastically reduced, with owners and the current players meeting on their own at various places around the country.
Frustrated by the exclusion, Eller and his attorneys filed a second lawsuit, adding more plaintiffs - including HOFers Marcus Allen, Paul Krause and Franco Harris - and accusing the two sides of violating the mediation court order and breaking promises of better benefits.
Both the players and the league have admitted that there are many shortcomings in the current system. Many of the pioneers of the NFL have paid a lifelong physical price for playing a high-impact sport, and their push for better care has gained steam and public support in recent years.
"We will use every tool in our tool bag to get our rights," Eller said. "We are following the law, so don't prosecute us or blame us for following the law. These are serious things that we're after. It could be life or death for some players, so it's essential that we get this. We're not doing this just for more money. We're doing this just because lives depend on it."
Eller and the NFL Retired Players Association view this invitation back to the collective bargaining table as a "huge step in the right direction" to resolving the complaints raised by the retirees.