My summer with the CBA: Union dues?
As it turns out, the NHL is open-shop; that is, players don't technically have to belong to the Players' Association. But there's a catch.
Article 4.1 (b): "any Player who is not a member in good standing of the NHLPA must, on the 30h day following the beginning of his employment as a Player, pay ... an annual service fee in the same amount as the periodic dues."
Translation: Even if you choose not to benefit from the Players Association's services, you have to pay for them. Here's guessing there's 100% enrollment in this "open shop."
About J.P.
J.P. Hoornstra has been covering the Anaheim Ducks since 2007. Eight months after the University of Wisconsin won its third NCAA hockey championship, he was born in a frigid Madison winter. He betrayed his blue-blooded beginnings by graduating from UCLA in 2003, and welcomes any and all dialogue on the finer points of hockey.
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