Labor Rights for Pro Wrestlers with attorney Lucas Middlebrook | POST x Wrestlenomics
POST Wrestling
POST Wrestling
4.6 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 23 February 2023
⏱️ 43 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
John Pollock and Brandon Thurston speak with labor attorney Lucas Middlebrook on the state of independent contractors in professional wrestling.
They discuss the lack of representation for wrestlers, the steps necessary to form an association or union, the difference between the two, escalating revenue in the industry, independent contractor status & many other subjects.
Additional reading:
In the WWE, Wrestlers Say Labor Abuses Are Everywhere (Jacobin)
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello everybody and welcome to the second edition of Pollock and Thurston interview which is the |
| 0:06.2 | the branding that we are going with Mr. Thurston and it's a pleasure to be joined tonight by an |
| 0:11.8 | individual who is a labor attorney that has extensive experience in airlines as well as professional |
| 0:18.1 | sports which is very much our purview and the unique world of professional wrestling a pleasure to |
| 0:23.0 | have Lucas middle broke with us and Lucas where are you joining us from tonight I know you are in |
| 0:27.6 | the midst of a very busy schedule and we greatly appreciate the time tonight yeah this week I |
| 0:33.2 | find myself in in Minneapolis bargaining with with an airline on behalf of a group of airline |
| 0:40.1 | mechanics and I'm lucky enough to find myself in the middle of a blizzard so you know it's also |
| 0:47.6 | glorious business travel well being from Toronto and Buffalo we can we can certainly appreciate |
| 0:54.4 | that respectively as we're we're getting hit tonight as well there's a winner winner storm |
| 0:58.7 | warrant tonight yeah well there you go right misery loves company well Lucas I wanted to start off |
| 1:04.5 | sort of just with two very interesting industries in mixed martial arts that you have a big background |
| 1:10.4 | with and professional wrestling because I think that there are a lot of similarities as well as |
| 1:16.2 | differences as well but the key being that the two industry leaders in WWE and UFC have largely |
| 1:22.8 | flourished in an industry where fighters and professional wrestlers do not have any type of |
| 1:28.6 | representation in the form of a union or an association and does it at all surprise you that as |
| 1:34.8 | revenues have just skyrocketed in these industries that this has not become something that has been |
| 1:41.4 | addressed it still remains this this great positive view are the the businesses involved but has |
| 1:47.4 | not been able to ever really get off the ground floor for the performers involved yeah surprises me |
| 1:54.9 | as a labor practitioner and someone who very much believes in how unionizing in this country can |
| 2:01.9 | improve your terms and conditions and it also surprises me as as someone on the outside looking |
| 2:07.2 | in who if you're you know a professional fighter in the UFC or professional wrestler in the WD how |
... |
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