The four-week suspension was for just cause. Additionally, there was no inherent violation of the labor agreement in the club's decision to pay Owens but not practice or play him due to the nature of the player's conduct and its destructive and continuing threat to the team.

Our labor agreement was one that the membership overwhelmingly ratified, and it turned out to be a pretty decent labor agreement. We gained wages, gained benefits — pensions were status quo — and we redesigned and restructured the workforce to be more efficient, as we have all across the industry.

A collective bargaining agreement is not the only way a labor movement can represent workers.

When labor and environmental issues are directly trade-related, included within the negotiating document or trade agreement will be references to [those issues,]

When language (in the agreement) requires local labor, we want to make sure our guys have the opportunity.

We have a 15-year contractual agreement that was negotiated with Interface in 2001. I think the agreement was signed in January of 2002.