Valerie Thomas’ Report on NFLPA Staffing Expenses
NFLPA's Revolving Door
A Call for Transparency and Accountability
NFLPA PAYS OUTSIDE STAFFING AGENCIES $304,610 in Four (4) Years
The NFLPA Human Resources (HR) Department
The following information was compiled from the U.S. Department of Labor, Federation of Professional Athletes (FPA), NFLPA, Labor-Management (LM-2) reports for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 through Fiscal Year (FY) 2009.
There are approximately one hundred (100) employees at the NFL Players Association and NFL Players:
- FY 2006 = 91 Total employees;
- FY 2007 = 102 Total employees;
- FY 2008 = 100 Total employees;
- FY 2009 = 104 Total employees.
The number of employees under $10,000 is not reported.
The NFLPA has two tiers of employees in each department, managers/supervisors and a separate bargaining unit (support/administrative). The two principal officers in the NFLPA Human Resources (HR) Department that oversee the hiring of the employees are Mary Moran, HR Director and Blake Velcoff, current HR Manager. There are also support/administrative staffers in the HR department whose salaries are not included in the following analysis.
Total Combined salaries for the HR Director and HR Manager(s) = $856,249
FY 2006 = Moran – $122,037 + Kelly – $44,662 = $166,700
FY 2007 = Moran – $161,128 + Velcoff – $33,692 = $194,820
FY 2008 = Moran – $187,529 + Velcoff – $53,144 = $240,673
FY 2009 = Moran – $196,080 + Velcoff – $57,976 = $254,056
Total = $856,249
The NFLPA’s policy is to build and retain its staff
Several departments, including the Legal Department have experienced high turnover in staffing. Employees throughout the organization have access to confidential information including player medical reports, personal and financial information. Training and orientation is expensive. The staff is being reconfigured with frequency and there is a poor retention rate. The lack of continuity affects jobs at every level – Support to Executive.
FPA/NFLPA records prior to FY 2006 do not reflect the amount of money spent on staffing agencies. Fortunately, in the past four years, the Labor Department has improved on the required itemization of information that is available to the general public. (See FY 2006 through FY 2009)
Employee lists in the LM-2 reports prior to FY 2006 can be cross-referenced for the rate of attrition. The following summary does not indicate the number of people who were hired by the NFLPA HR Department without the assistance of staffing agencies. Therefore the rate of turnover could be higher than indicated by the following information. When reading this information please remember that it is the NFLPA’s policy is to build and retain its staff.
Staffing Agencies Paid $304,610!
There were approximately 19 employees who were hired with the assistance of three (3) staffing agencies over a period of four years (FY 2006 through FY 2009). The total fees of $304,610 were paid to:
- The Choice Inc. = $267,610;
- Roth = $25,000;
- Mica Sports = $27,000; and
- Ruth Postow Staffing Agency = $11,104.*
Placement Fees Paid to Staffing Agencies for 19 employees
FY 2006 = Total fees paid were: $ 59,502 for 4 employees
FY 2007 = Total fees paid were: $104,987 for 9 employees **
FY 2008 = Total fees paid were: $ 25,703 for 2 employees
FY 2009 = Total fees paid were: $114,418 for 4 employees
*LM-2 breakdown:
FY 2006 – ($59,502) The Choice Inc. Staffing Agency was paid $16,000 + $32,398 non-itemized fees = $48,398 for three (3) employees. The Ruth Postow Staffing Agency was paid $11,104 for one (1) employee.
FY 2007 – ($104,987) The Choice Staffing Agency was paid $82,216 + $22,771 non-itemized fees = $104,987 for nine (9) employees.
FY 2008 – ($25,703) The Choice Inc. was paid $15,000 + $10,703 non-itemized fees = $25,703 for two (2) employees.
FY 2009 – ($114,418) The Choice Inc. Staffing Agency was paid $20,070 + $42,348 non itemized fees = $62,418 for two (2) employees (Website Administrator $13,470 and Paralegal $6,600 = $20,070). Roth Staffing was paid $25,000 Sr. Accounting Manager for one (1) employee. Mica Sports Executive Staffing was paid $27,000 VP of Licensing for one (1) employee.
** Only 4/9 employees from FY 2007 are still listed on the 2009 NFLPA website. That means that two (2) or three (3) years after being hired, five (5) out of nine (9) people were no longer employed and $47,410 was expended and lost in placement fees.
$1,160,859 Paid for HR Director + HR Manager Salaries + Placement Fees
FY 2006 = $166,700 HR Dir. and HR Mgr. + $ 59,502 placement fees = $226,202
FY 2007 = $194,820 HR Dir. and HR Mgr. + $104,987 placement fees = $299,807
FY 2008 = $240,673 HR Dir. and HR Mgr. + $ 25,703 placement fees = $266,376
FY 2009 = $254,056 HR Dir. and HR Mgr. + $114,418 placement fees = $368,474
Totals = $856,249 + $304,610 = $1,160,859
Summary
From FY 2006 to FY 2009, the NFLPA has paid over $1,160,859 in salaries and placement fees for the Human Resources Department toward the administration of a staff of one hundred (100) employees. Approximately 40% of NFLPA employees have been retained with 5 to 30 years of service and 60% of NFLPA employees have 5 or less years of service.
Approximately 19/60 newly and recently (5 years or less) hired employees were recruited through Staffing Agencies from FY 2006 – FY 2009. In one instance, for FY 2008 – a $10,000 PLACEMENT FEE was paid for a Receptionist position! What was the salary for that position? What percentage of the Receptionist’s salary was paid in placement fees?
How are placement fees determined? What does the term “non-itemized” mean (on the LM-2 report)? What are the “non-itemized” costs associated with the Staffing agencies?
There is a certain amount of turnover that is expected in any organization. However, individuals who are being paid high salaries and high placement fees for their “knowledge and expertise,” appear to be benefiting more financially than the organization.
The NFLPA deserves a better return for the money that they spend. The NFLPA pays a lot of money to agencies to find “qualified” employees. A lot of time has been spent providing orientation and on-the-job training to new hires. The NFLPA pays salaries with great benefits, but only receives a short-term return on services, continuity and retention.
Why are people leaving such a desirable workplace? Is there a hostile working environment? How many people have been fired or harassed out of job opportunities and a career in professional sports at the NFLPA?
Submitted by:
Bob Grant
June 30th, 2009 at 12:06 am #
Thank you Val,
I don’t think that all of our Retired Players will seriously examine the information that you provided but there are some of us who will. The conversations that I have had with you really opened my eyes as to how they have been “gaming” us at the PA for years now. I know that you have been fighting for some twenty years now for the way that your were railroaded out of the NFLPA offices. I know that the Union has spent close to two million dollars ($2,000,000.00) fighting to stop you from being fairly compensated for your work and the job that they forced you out of. I am really anxious to see whether or nor Director Smith is going to settle up with you in spite of the vendetta that those bandits from the “old guard” still have against you. I don’t have words to express how much I admire your courage and stamina. I do hope that someday all Retired Players will learn how much you have done for them behind the scenes.
Bob Grant
Conrad Dobler
July 1st, 2009 at 5:30 am #
I own a staffing agency and when an agency is paid a placement fee for an employee and that employee leaves the position before one year, they have to replace that employee without charging an additional placement fee. With the high price they’re paying that HR department, these people should be able to have the expertise to hire the right people for the positions without using a placement agency.
I’d sure like to know if any of these agencies have any percentage of ownership by any employees of the NFLPA. What is the HR department doing for their money? It’s their job to find qualified individuals for placement in the NFLPA and not the job of a placement agency. Maybe they’re too busy working on lawsuits from former employees to spend any time looking for new employees. It’s a waste to be paying this type of money for management in the HR department and getting nothing in return. I would like to apply for this job; of course, I have no family members with connections in Washington. All I could offer is an honest day’s work which seems not to be on the job description for employment at the NFLPA!
Conrad Dobler
Former NFLPA employee
September 6th, 2009 at 10:29 pm #
Hostile work environment…that’s why a lot of people left. Player Marketing had one of the highest turnover rates because everyone in a unit capacity is overworked and underpaid… who can afford to live in Washington, D.C. for $28K a year?