This is a guest opinion column

Governor Kay Ivey and House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter’s recent comments in the media attacking unions are nothing but outright lies from politicians who are afraid of workers having even a little power to better their lives. They both called the United Auto Workers (UAW) a “dangerous leech” this week, just days after Gov. Ivey released a statement—alongside a couple other bought-and-paid-for lawmakers who are in the pocket of big corporations—claiming unions are special interest groups here to “threaten our jobs and the values we live by.”

I’m here to set the record straight as a proud union man born and raised here in Gadsden. My grandfather was a union member, my father was a union member and I was a member of the United Steelworkers for well over 30 years. So, as a third generation factory worker in Alabama who grew up walking picket lines with my dad and listening to my granddaddy’s stories about life before he had a union contract, I can tell you this: these out-of-touch lawmakers who collect taxpayer-funded salaries but don’t lift a finger to help their hardworking constituents are the real leeches.

For my family, a union card meant a lot of things. It meant better protections from serious injuries or death on the job so you could always make it home safe after a shift to see your kids. It meant equal pay for equal work, no matter who you were, because if you put in an honest day’s labor, you deserve a fair wage. It meant regular raises so you could always put food on the table and keep a roof over your head even if inflation was high. It meant dignity at work and getting the basic level of respect you deserve. And it meant job security so you couldn’t be fired out-of-the-blue for no good reason and end up on the streets. Those are union values and, if you ask me, they’re Alabama values.

When we have union jobs in our towns, it raises everyone’s quality of life. If you don’t believe me, let’s look at the economics real quick. A fair, competitive wage at a stable job means more folks are able to support our local businesses and give their tithings in church. It also means more tax revenue to spend on funding our schools, repairing our roads and paying essential public servants like firefighters. A union-protected job also means the state will be able to spend less on unemployment benefits or food stamps because more and more working families will be able to support themselves with dignity. When I was a Steelworker, my union siblings and I knew that to whom much is given, much will be required. That’s why we always donated to United Way, gave back to charities and sponsored local youth sport leagues. Because the benefits of a union don’t stop at a member’s paycheck. It impacts a whole community, across generations.

Corporations and the politicians they bankroll want to keep workers divided and afraid of demanding the rights and freedoms we deserve. They’re working overtime right now to spread fear and lies so bosses can keep paying poverty wages while they rake in record profits. But the Alabama AFL-CIO sees right through this charade and I know the honest, hardworking people of Alabama can see through it too. When workers stand together in unions to bargain for good wages, quality benefits and their fair share of corporate profits, we have the power not just to change our own lives, but the lives of our neighbors and communities, too.

Bren Riley is president of the Alabama AFL-CIO, the state’s largest labor federation, representing tens of thousands of union members across different sectors of the economy.

The NFL Draft came to a conclusion after seven rounds and three days on Saturday afternoon, and it featured plenty of names that came from The University of Alabama.

The Crimson Tide had 10 players taken in the draft, good enough for third among all schools, trailing only Michigan and Texas. Of those 10, three went in the first round: JC Latham (Titans), Dallas Turner (Vikings) and Terrion Arnold (Lions).

After Day 1, Alabama had seven players selected over the next two days: Kool-Aid McKinstry (Saints), Chris Braswell (Bucs), Jermaine Burton (Bengals), Justin Eboigbe (Chargers), Jase McClellan (Falcons), Will Reichard (Vikings), and Jaylen Key (Jets). Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban ends his career with an incredible 47 first round picks from Alabama, and moved into third place all-time for total number of drafted players.

Today’s Crimson Tide Schedule:

• Softball: vs No. 3 Tennessee, Tuscaloosa, Ala., 1 p.m. CT, ESPN2

Crimson Tide Results:

• Rowing: Alabama rowing finished its regular season at the Lake Wheeler Invitational in Raleigh, N.C. on Saturday, picking up one first-place finish and 11 top-two finishes.
• Men’s Golf: 8-seed Alabama fell in the quarterfinals of match play of the SEC Championships to 1-seed Auburn, by a final score of 3-2.
• Baseball: Alabama 10, Ole Miss 3
• Softball: No. 3 Tennessee 2, No. 17 Alabama 0

Did you notice?

• With the Minnesota Vikings’ selection of Will Reichard in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, former Alabama head coach Nick Saban now has had a player drafted at every position in football, including specialists such as kicker, punter, and long snapper.

• A couple Alabama football transfers were taken on Day 3 of the NFL Draft, with former Alabama cornerback Khyree Jackson being taken by the Vikings and former Alabama wide receiver Javon Baker being taken by the Patriots.

• In a playoff loss to the OKC Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans forward Herb Jones scored 15 points. The Pelicans trail the series 3-0 and are on the verge of being swept by the 1-seed in the West.

Countdown to Crimson Tide’s 2024 Football Season Opener:

127 days

On This Day in Crimson Tide History:

April 28, 1991: Athletic director Hootie Ingram announced the Centennial Committee had chosen “Century of Champions” as the official theme for the upcoming celebration of Alabama’s 100 years of football. Ingram made the announcement at the annual Football Media Weekend hosted by head coach Gene Stallings and the athletic department.

April 28, 2017: Former Crimson Tide players cornerback Marlon Humphrey, defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, tight end O.J. Howard and linebacker Reuben Foster were all selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

Crimson Tide Quote of the Day:

“I was shocked. I expected it to be a whole lot tougher. But we rattled them before they could think clearly.” – Antonio Langham after Alabama defeated Miami in the 1993 Sugar Bowl for the national championship.

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OXFORD — Mike Bianco has seen this Ole Miss baseball team play well. That’s what fuels his hope. It’s also the root of his frustration.

The capability is plain to see. The Rebels have secured memorable wins over Mississippi State, Georgia and even on Friday night against Alabama in the last three weeks. But Ole Miss is not playing to those capabilities often enough to meet the expectations this program has developed over 24 seasons with Bianco at the helm.

After dropping two out of three to the Crimson Tide at Swayze Field this weekend, the Rebels’ path to an NCAA Regional looks more like a lightly used foot trail conquered by prickly overgrowth.

“You go back to the ’22 team ‒ and not because we’re 7-14 or anything like that ‒ but one of the things we’ve always said about that team is they showed up every day,” Bianco said. “They were very consistent in the way they approach practice, the way they approach the game, the way they approach everything. This team’s too inconsistent.”

The Rebels (23-20, 7-14 SEC) have an unhappy tendency to get embarrassed when they lose. Eight of their 14 SEC defeats have come by at least seven runs. And those margins are often inflated by Ole Miss’ inability to get out of its own way.

In Saturday’s decisive rubber match against Alabama (28-16, 9-12), Ole Miss got a strong start from Mason Nichols, who didn’t have his best stuff after returning from an injury. He pitched four innings of one-run ball anyway.

Once he left the game, the Rebels collapsed. Their bullpen faltered, sure, but they twice missed routine fly balls in the outfield to extend innings, unable to cope with the elements on a blustery, sunny afternoon.

Offensively, they didn’t have an answer for Alabama freshman Zane Adams, who entered the game with a 4.54 ERA. Adams pitched into the eighth inning having allowed one run before Jackson Ross finally chased him with a late home run in a game that was already decided.

“We’ve got the wind blowing out 20 miles an hour and we can’t pull the ball in the air the whole day,” Bianco said.

SIMMONS: Ole Miss football dual-sport athlete Austin Simmons leaves baseball game with injury

Bianco was asked postgame why he feels this team has failed to achieve consistency, and whether there are certain traits his more dependable teams from the path have featured that this group lacks.

He said he didn’t believe it was fair to discuss culture, leadership and chemistry during the season.

“When you’re this close, you can’t really analyze that kind of stuff,” Bianco said. “…Sometimes you don’t win because you’re not good enough. You know, that’s a fact. And that’s probably more so than not. But there’s times when you don’t win because you don’t show up enough, and that was kind of the message today.”

It would be disingenuous to pretend as though these Rebels don’t have serious roster construction problems. They don’t have a true Friday night starter ‒ they haven’t won a series opener since their first SEC set of the season against South Carolina. Injuries and ineffectiveness have gradually depleted their bullpen into a unit that lacks reliability. Ole Miss’ preseason plan at catcher hasn’t worked out and its lineup isn’t the murderer’s row some hoped it might be.

Still, undeniably, Ole Miss has the talent to catch the baseball reliably. It has the talent to make basic plays on the infield. It has the talent to handle a freshman lefthander better than it did against Alabama on Saturday in a 10-3 loss.

That’s why Bianco can feel hopeful ‒ and like an opportunity is passing him and his team by.

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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