The Green Bay Packers have not begun cutting the pay of their employees. When, or whether, they will depends on when, or whether, the lockout causes the team to lose money.
Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy told the Green Bay Press-Gazette that those decisions will be made when the team knows if it’s going to lose ticket or television revenue from lost games.
“It’s based on when we’re going to start missing revenue,” Murphy said.
Murphy said the lockout has had a small effect on sponsorships, but no significant impact on the team’s bottom line.
“That’s why we have not started withholding yet,” Murphy said.
The Packers’ approach is the right one: If the lockout lasts so long that regular-season games are lost, then it’s understandable that teams are going to have tough decisions to make about paying their employees. But until teams start losing real money, it’s wrong for them to cut the pay of employees who have nothing to do with the ongoing labor mess.