Event Recap: NHLPA's Alex Dagg and Mathieu Schneider

On Tuesday, November 12th The Cornell Sports Business Society was lucky enough to host Alex Dagg and Mathieu Schneider, from the NHL Players Association for an informal question and answer session. Dagg has been the Director of Operations for the NHLPA for the past two years, after working for 25 years in private sector unions. Schneider is a former NHL defensemen and Stanley Cup winner who was a player representative to the union and now works for the union after his retirement in 2010.

Before taking questions, the two gave a brief history of the NHLPA. The union became relevant in 1992, when the player's went on strike for the monetary rights to the their names. The strike only lasted 10 days, as the playoffs were approaching and the league could not afford to lose the important revenue.

The first major battle between the union and the league came in the 1994 lockout, where the major conflict was the owner's desire for a salary cap. Despite the owners getting the cap, Schneider noted that the period after this lockout "was a great time to be a hockey player" because average incomes rose from $100,000 to $1.5 million.

The next lockout came ten years later, and the entire 2004-2005 season was lost. Because the average hockey career is 4 years, one lost year is incredibly damaging to the players, and the union ended up fairing poorly in negotiations. Two years before the last lockout, Donald Fehr was hired as the NHLPA. 

Schneider said that Fehr has been an incredible leader, and lauded his ability to "break down most complicated issues so that young kids coming into the NHL could understand them". After the last lockout, last season, Schneider said that the NHLPA was in a great place, and Dagg added that a goal of theirs was a "more mature bargaining relationship" with the league. After this brief discussion of the union's history, the two took questions from our members.

What is your daily interaction with the league in a period, like now, where there is a long period of time before the CBA expires?

Dagg explained that, in the last CBA negotiations, a number of committees were formed that facilitate constant interaction between the league and the union. These committees force the two parties to work together and find common interest. Dagg recognizes that interests will not always intersect, but added that relations between the two have been largely positive of late. Schneider added that the working relationship between Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner, and Fehr is terrific, which keeps the relationship between the union and league positive.

How does the union keep its member educated during this dead period?

Dagg explained that the union regularly meets with its young members to keep them educated about all the nuances and complexities of the CBA, an document that she noted was over 500 pages long. She also added that the union and players must think about life after hockey, and the union teaches players financial responsibility to prepare them for retirement. Schneider added that the union holds rookie orientation each year, which helps it connect with new players. He said this was necessary because the union was "much better when we have players actively participating".

What is the difference between working with low-wage and higher-wage workers?

This was directed at Ms. Dagg, who spend 25 years working with low-wage workers before joining the NHLPA. She said that working with low-wage workers felt more "real", since gains made by a union can affect the workers' lives far for greatly than it can for pro hockey players. 

She does really enjoy working for the NHLPA, saying that she loves working with the people, and that it's great to work for a union where disputes are major media stories. Schneider quickly added that “we’re working for the lower half of the league, no one’s worried about the Crosbys or Ovechkins”, saying that the top-tier players will always be paid well.

As always, the Cornell Sports Business Society extends its sincerest thanks to Alex Dagg and Mathieu Schneider, who took their own time to educate our members about working for a professional sports union. Alex and Mathieu provided invaluable insights into the nuances of NHL labor relations, and we would love to have them back should they find themselves in Ithaca again.