Note: I posted this article earlier tonight to my page on Examiner.com:
Known for his tenacity while guarding opposing receivers, Charles Woodson has displayed another kind of strong defense, joining Green Bay Packers teammates who have voiced support for belegauered union members in Wisconsin.
On Sunday, the University of Michigan alumnus and veteran cornerback issued a statement through the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) in which he backed workers embroiled in a showdown with Republican governor Scott Walker, who has called for the end of collective bargaining rights for the majority of public employees in Wisconsin, a proposal that has generated a week of protests in Madison, the state's capital. Woodson, one of his team's elected NFLPA representatives, joins several present and past Green Bay players that include Brady Poppinga, Jason Spitz, Chris Jacke, and Bob Long in backing the workers, and it comes at a time when the NFL players union and league owners are engaged in their own tense negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The current CBA is set to expire on March 3, and has led to speculation that owners may lock out players if no agreement is reached beforfehand.
Woodson's complete statement: "Last week I was proud when many of my current and former teammates announced their support for the working families fighting for their rights in Wisconsin. Today I am honored to join with them.
Thousands of dedicated Wisconsin public workers provide vital services for Wisconsin citizens. They are the teachers, nurses and child care workers who take care of us and our families. These hard working people are under an unprecedented attack to take away their basic rights to have a voice and collectively bargain at work.
It is an honor for me to play for the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers and be a part of the Green Bay and Wisconsin communities. I am also honored as a member of the NFL Players Association to stand together with working families of Wisconsin and organized labor in their fight against this attempt to hurt them by targeting unions. I hope those leading the attack will sit down with Wisconsin’s public workers and discuss the problems Wisconsin faces, so that together they can truly move Wisconsin forward."
