PITTSBURGH _ Six years ago, former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch was a member of the NFL players' association executive committee when team owners locked the players out and caused a 132-day work stoppage. A new collective bargaining agreement was agreed upon in late July, but Steelers players declined to sign it because they thought it gave too much power to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Now there are four years remaining on the CBA, and Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman said last week the players have to be willing to strike to get what they want. Four years is a long time, but the NFLPA could be setting the stage for another work stoppage before the current deal expires in 2020.
Did Batch see this coming?
"It's hard to predict," Batch said Thursday during a break at a Steelers youth camp at West Allegheny High School. "I've been out of it now five years. I'm not in depth with the strategy going into the next CBA. Richard is on the executive committee like I was. Is that a hint to where they might possibly go? I don't know. All I know is they locked us out in 2011. That's where we are. Players haven't struck since 1987. People forget that. Everyone now is talking about players striking. People forget just (six) years ago the owners locked the players out."
The Steelers offseason has had its share of labor discord. The team could not come to terms on a long-term contract with running back Le'Veon Bell, and he has to sign his one-year tender as the team's franchise player. Indications are Bell won't report to training camp on time when it opens July 27.
Left tackle Alejandro Villanueva also has not signed his $615,000 exclusive rights free agent tender. He would not commit to showing up to camp on time either when he was asked this spring, saying he'd let his agent decide his best course of action.
"Both situations are different," Batch said. "Villanueva, they still have him for two more years before he is unrestricted. Le'Veon goes to unrestricted next year (if the Steelers don't use the franchise tag on him again). Either way, he has to sign his tender before he comes back. It'll be one of those situations, if they stick to what they've done in the past, they're not going to negotiate with him until he comes to camp."
When players have held out in the past, the Steelers have refused to negotiate until they reported to training camp. Two of the more recent contract holdouts had two very different outcomes.
Receiver Hines Ward held out before the 2005 season. He reported to training camp after a 15-day holdout and received a new contract before the season began.
Seven years later in 2012, receiver Mike Wallace held out during training camp. The team responded by signing Antonio Brown to a long-term contract while Wallace held out. He reported Aug. 28, about two weeks before the start of the season, and played his final season with the Steelers. He left the team the following year when he signed as a free agent with the Miami Dolphins.
Batch is five years removed from his playing days in the NFL, but he said players generally understand when others hold out, or in the cases of Bell and Villanueva refuse to sign their tenders.
"There is no ill toward a guy," said Batch, who will continue in his role as a Steelers analyst this year with KDKA-TV and the Steelers Radio Network. "Everyone's situation is different. Hines was a four-time Pro Bowler. He was vastly underpaid. Everybody understood that situation. He reported. And guess what? His deal got done. Everyone's situation is different."
Batch said Bell's situation should not be compared to Ward, Wallace or Villanueva because the Steelers exercised their right to place the franchise tag on him. The Steelers decided not to sign him before his rookie contract expired and had the past four months to negotiate a deal before Monday's deadline.
"When you get to that point, you can't fault the player for doing that because the organization had opportunities to sign him," Batch said. "If you look at Kirk Cousins' situation they had an opportunities to sign him, but they wanted him to prove it. He proved it and got franchised again the following season. Now you can't work out a deal because they weren't willing to do it when he was an unproven player. So you can't fault a player in that situation. It's the same with Le'Veon's situation. They didn't feel like based on where was at that he was worthy enough of a contract. They gambled, put the franchise tag on him, and he won.
"But there's also the gamble the Steelers could pull that tag if he doesn't show up. Now you're unrestricted at the end of August, which changes the game versus being unrestricted in March. There are a lot of different scenarios that could unfold for Le'Veon."
Batch is serving as a camp counselor Thursday as well at the Steelers youth camp at West Allegheny along with former Steelers Doug Legursky and Craig Wolfley and current Steelers Arthur Moats, Roosevelt Nix and Chris Hubbard.
