Two of professional hockey’s North American players’ associations— the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA)—announced they are formally affiliating with the AFL-CIO and joining its Sports Council.
The NHLPA represents approximately 750 professional hockey players across 32 teams in the National Hockey League, (NHL) while the PHPA represents approximately 1,800 professional hockey players across 61 teams in the American Hockey League (AHL) and the ECHL. Their membership brings the total number of unions under the nation’s largest labor federation to 63, representing more than 15 million workers.
The ECHL, formerly known as the formerly the East Coast Hockey League but now known just as ECHL, is a farm system to the AHL and NHL. It is also the league that the Kansas City Mavericks play in. The Mavericks play in Independence, Missouri at the Cable Dahmer Arena and are an affiliate of the Seattle Kraken in the NHL and the Coachella Valley Firebirds in the AHL.
“Whether our work is on the rink, in the classroom or on the factory floor, every worker deserves a voice on the job and the power that comes with union membership,” said Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO. “We are thrilled to welcome the NHLPA and the PHPA into the federation and our Sports Council, and we look forward to supporting their work to ensure strong union contracts, fair wages, safe working conditions and professional development opportunities for professional hockey players. On the heels of SEIU’s affiliation last month, America’s labor movement is more unified than ever. We will continue to channel that strength and momentum into the fight for workers’ rights.”
The ECHL-PHPA collective bargaining agreement expires on June 30, 2025. Players in the league make less than you might expect, with an active roster consisting of a maximum of twenty players who must share $14,600 total a week during the season, or $730 a player in the 2024/2025 season. Rookies, or players who have played fewer than 25 regular season professional games, cannot be paid more than $620 a week. Active players cannot make less than $11,100 a year.
A one-year extension was negotiated for the AHL-PHPA collective bargaining agreement during the pandemic, so that CBA now expires on August 31st, 2025. If you’re a regular AHL player, you cannot make less than $52,725 a year, but if you are on loan from a “lesser league” you can be paid $41,625 a year.
These players should be viewed as workers, just like any other member of the labor movement. They deserve fair pay and that is what the labor movement is for.
“The NHLPA’s membership is proud to join the AFL-CIO and its Sports Council during this important moment in the labor movement,” said Marty Walsh, executive director of the NHLPA. “We look forward to working together with other players’ associations and unions from across North America to ensure that workers in all industries have a collective voice in fighting for fair wages and safe and equitable workplaces.”
“We are so proud to be part of the 15 million-member AFL-CIO and their Sports Council, and our members are excited about taking an active role in working towards better outcomes for working people in every sector of the economy,” said Brian Ramsay, executive director of the PHPA. “As we begin collective bargaining negotiations, our members will now enjoy the full support of the AFL-CIO at the bargaining table. This is what solidarity is all about.”
The AFL-CIO Sports Council was formed in 2022 to build power across unions in the sports industry, amplify the voices of athletes and shine a light on the challenges they face as workers. It also aligns interests in areas of common concern with service, hospitality and other workers who support the professional sports industries. The Sports Council includes unions with members across professional sports: the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), the NWSL Players Association (NWSLPA), the USL Players Association-CWA (USLPA-CWA), the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), the Major League Soccer Players Association (MLSPA) and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA).
Tristin Amezcua-Hogan is the Editor of The Labor Beacon and a member of LIUNA Local 264. Tristin also serves as the Director of Communications for the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO and the Chair of the Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance.
Tristin grew up as the son of a UA Local 669 member in Tecumseh, KS and the great-nephew of George C. Amis, longtime leader of the United Rubberworkers (now USW Local 307) in Kansas. Growing up in rural Kansas as the child of teen parents, Tristin quickly came to appreciate the life-changing benefit of a union job.
Tristin and his partner, Rebeca Amezcua-Hogan, are residents of the Westside, Kansas City, MO's historic Mexican neighborhood. They are proud members of Kansas City's New Reform Temple.
