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Caddies File Lawsuit Against PGA Tour

ddec said:
wonder if I can sue the car dealer for always throwing a sticker or license plate border on my car. I'm no free billboard!
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True story, the "dealership badge" that was on our vehicles had to come off. At the dealership I asked them to remove it and they looked at me like I was crazy. I told them that unless I would be receiving a check monthly for the advertising they will receive it was coming off and it was coming off before I left the lot. Of course they looked confused and reluctantly did it, but it took another conversation with the GM to make it happen.
 
ddec said:
wonder if I can sue the car dealer for always throwing a sticker or license plate border on my car. I'm no free billboard!
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Actually ... I tell them to keep those things off my car unless they plan on giving me an additional discount for advertising for them. None have taken me up on the offer.
 
deuce said:
Actually ... I tell them to keep those things off my car unless they plan on giving me an additional discount for advertising for them.
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The dealer we bought our focus from gives us free car washes on exchange for leaving their dealer sticker on.
 
ddec said:
wonder if I can sue the car dealer for always throwing a sticker or license plate border on my car. I'm no free billboard!
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Lawyers...Of course you can Dean.
 
captaincaution said:
The dealer we bought our focus from gives us free car washes on exchange for leaving their dealer sticker on.
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Awesome. May have to keep this in mind as we're in the process of looking for a car.
 
JB said:
Lawyers...Of course you can Dean.
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this needs to happen. I need a lawyer who can help with such frivolous activities. ATL you around?
 
I don't think I have once noticed what was on the caddies bib. I mean can I sue the tour if I am caught on camera wearing a Nike hat? I know the answer and I thinks its silly for this suit to be brought to the courts.
 
The bib should be considered a uniform. I cant believe all these frivolous law suits that waste tax payers dollars.

I am forced to wear Under Armour at work, should I get advertising money? Ridiculous
 
jlukes said:
I see both sides. On one hand the caddies aren't being compensated for wearing advertising, while on the other hand there is nothing preventing a caddie from getting any sort of apparel sponsorship on his own.
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Everyone else get paid to wear advertisements, don't see why they should be an exception. I would guess that their player might have an issue if he has a deal with a competing company. Just a thought.
 
ddec said:
wonder if I can sue the car dealer for always throwing a sticker or license plate border on my car. I'm no free billboard!
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Or adversely, as you can take that sticker off your car or license plate, I wonder how the tour would feel if the caddies started showing up in blank bibs.
 
Canadan said:
Or adversely, as you can take that sticker off your car or license plate, I wonder how the tour would feel if the caddies started showing up in blank bibs.
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they would probably slap that logo right back on, just like the damn dealer.
 
Orange Hog said:
If Under Armour was paying your company advertising dollars then I would say yes, you should be compensated.

I'm with you that there are a lot of stupid lawsuits these days by folks just looking for a handout but I don't think this is one of them. I really think the caddies are on solid ground here.
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They are compensated. They make more money than a large majority of American citizens.
 
Interesting. I feel like the caddies do have an argument here, but I also feel like somebody just wants some extra $$. I see their point, but a multi million dollar lawsuit? Cmon man.
 
This case is fairly weak for a variety of reasons and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Tour throw the Caddies a bone and settle it after a few hundred grand spent by both side in litigation. After all, how are us lawyers supposed to be able to afford all these new-fangled clubs?
 
If their compensation comes out of the prize pool, I could see the players telling their caddies to "shut up and carry my bag". Also I imagine they would reduce their weekly base pay since they would be making money from the Tour. Either way, their pay stays the same or gets reduced.

I bet the bulk of those who have signed on to this suit are not on the Tour anymore. Has beens and barely beens looking for some free cash as I would imagine those active caddies are appreciative of their jobs.
 
After reading a bit of that article, yeah, i have to agree with caddies, they should be paid for wearing advertising
 
Does this mean the USGA and PGA could be next? Caddies wear those bibs with there logo as well and I'm pretty sure they don't get any money for that.
 
I think they make a good point when they are required to wear them then they should be compensated somehow.
 
I was getting ready to post this thread. The lead attorney on this was one of my best friends going through school. He got picked on quite a bit with a name like Eugene Egdorf and being one of the smartest kids in school to top it off. Really good guy though.
Trying not to be biased, but I think it's a good that the caddies are asking for compensation. While they can get their own sponsorship deals, you can't see the names of the companies unless its along a sleeve hem or maybe a hat if they are allowed to wear one. One of the points is that if they choose to not wear the bib, they get ostracized by the system.
I may be biased as well because another close friend from high school is a caddie as well. As much money as is made, there's no reason the caddies shouldn't be thrown a bone.
And as far as the comment about most caddies making more than most working American's, I don't believe that's true. It's definitely true if you are working for one of the big names, (and then some!!) but if you're not, then not so much. From what I've read about it they get their travel and expenses paid for and maybe a little more than that. Luckily for my friend, and once again from what I've read many other caddies as well, he's made his money being a CEO of a company so he doesn't depend on caddy income for his living.
 
I have no idea about the prospects for success in the courts, but I side with the caddies. They aren't employees but the tour is engaging in conduct which a) makes money from them and b) prohibits/limits the caddie's ability to make advertising money.

It seems obviously in the interest of the tour to settle this case. Imagine a world where the tour wins the suit - at least in part by proving the caddies are not required to wear proscribed bibs - so the caddies organize and contract to wear advertising on a week to week basis. Every caddie shows up wearing Ford scripting the weeks of the Honda, Cadillac, Buick, BMW and Hyundai events; its AmEx on the bibs the week of the Arnold Palmer / Mastercard event; its Sprint on the bibs the week of the AT&T. No bueno.
 
Hmm. It's unusual in this day and age of mass media to read an article that appears to be researched and thought out. After reading it, I'm siding with the caddies. They're being compelled by the PGA Tour (according to them) to wear the bib... which has PGA sponsors all over it... which the PGA tour gets money from... but the caddies aren't allowed to get a cut of the advertising money. The PGA tour says the bibs are voluntary "but the caddies appear to accept that it is voluntary..." and yet one had to explain himself to the PGA officials when he chose not to wear it. It sounds like the bib is a requirement to me.

I've got a suspicion that the PGA tour will offer to settle out of court... possibly before the discovery phase. I kind of doubt that the PGA tour wants it to be made known exactly how much money is tied up in the bib sponsorships and will be willing to shift a small amount to the caddies. If this goes to that phase, it could get ugly... and the PGA tour doesn't want that. Just my opinion.
 
I agree that is the tour is forcing them to wear the logo of the sponsoring group at an event, there should be compensation for it. They are walking billboards at many, but not all events. Many wear the hat of their player, and I wonder if the get paid for that?
 
ddec said:
wonder if I can sue the car dealer for always throwing a sticker or license plate border on my car. I'm no free billboard!
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You absolutely can say no sticker or license plate border. I got an extra $100 off my car because of a permanent dealer logo.
 
I'm definitely siding with the caddies on this one - they tour is acting as if it is mandatory for them to wear the bib (Ryan Palmers caddy as an example).

As for how much compensation, would that be tricky...is it a fixed fee per tournament? Or based on how many caddies are participating? Are playoffs included? Lots and lots of questions arise here.

Funny we are bringing up license plate frames - when I brought my Ford into another Ford dealership to get my oil changed, they actually swapped out the license plate frame which was on the car for one of theirs...I personally don't care but thought that was funny....
 
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