The world of professional sports is highly unionized. Professional players in bas ketball, baseball,
football, and hockey all have union representation. The Canadian media have recently reported several
stories related to the Canadian Hockey League (CHL). The CHL comprises about 60 teams that play in
the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and Western Hockey League. The
goal for many of the league's 1,300 junior players, aged 16-20, is to play profes . sionally in the National
Hockey League. In particular, recent media stories have also highlighted union drives for junior hockey
players. A previous unionization attempt in Halifax by what was then known as the Canadian Hockey
League Players' Association failed. That union then sought the assistance of the largest private sector
union in Canada-Unifor Unifor is now creating a leadership team and legal entity so it can start a more
formal certification drive. According to Unifor, the union seeks to improve pay, reduce the restrictions
currently in place on scholarships, and enhance health insurance. Union organizers argue that players
can, in essence, earn less than one dollar an hour while owners make profits from ticket, food/beverage,
and clothing sales. Leadership of the league assert that fewer than one-third of teams are profit able, that
they spent $5 million a year in tuition for former players, and that they have always looked for ways to
better meet the needs of players (both as athletes and as young people) . In short, they feel the
introduction of a third party (a union) will likely not do any better. On top of the union drive, the CHL has
been hit with a class-action lawsuit of $180 million. The lawsuit alleges that the players (who are often
paid between $35 and $50 a week for hours of practice, training, games, and travel) are owed millions of
dollars as the league has failed to pay minimum wage, holiday, overtime, and vacation pay. The lawsuit
further alleges that these players were, in essence forced to sign contracts that violated minimum wage
legislation. The CHL leadership argue that these laws do not apply as the players are in essence amateur
student athletes (eligible for scholarships) and independent contractors