The Everett Silvertips and the rest of the WHL’s Washington-based teams are no longer in danger of being at a competitive disadvantage.
Washington State governor Jay Inslee on Monday signed a bill into law that affirms the amateur status of WHL players.
Senate Bill 5893 exempts WHL players from both the state’s Minimum Wage Act and Industrial Welfare Act. The Minimum Wage Act potentially could have affected the way in which Washington-based WHL players were compensated, while the Industrial Welfare Act potentially could have affected the ability of 16- and 17-year-olds to play in the league.
There are four WHL teams in Washington — the Silvertips, the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Spokane Chiefs and the Tri-City Americans.
The bill was passed by a vote of 91-7 in the State House of Representatives and by a vote of 47-1 in the State Senate.
Without the legislation it’s possible the Washington-based WHL teams would have had to compensate their players more than the league’s other 18 teams, and it’s possible the Washington-based teams would have been unable to field 16- and 17-year-old players.
“Obviously it’s legislation we’re in favor of,” Everett general manager Garry Davidson said. “With the governor signing off on it officially it’s a positive move for us going forward.”
The legislation stems from a complaint filed with the State Department of Labor and Industry in September of 2013, in which an unnamed party claimed the WHL violated the state’s minimum wage and child labor laws. Last December the Department of Labor and Industry announced it was expanding its investigation into the complaint.
WHL players, who are between the ages of 16 and 20, are compensated in the form of free room and board, a small monthly stipend, and a year of college paid for each year played in the league. The complaint claimed the stipend fell far short of the state’s minimum wage, which at the time was $9.32 per hour.
The complaint filed in Washington is just one of several legal challenges being made with regards to junior hockey players, most occurring in Canada. The questions as to whether players in the Canadian Hockey League, of which the WHL is a member, are being compensated fairly, as well as whether they should be considered amateur or professional, continues to be debated.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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