PWHL players strengthen labor power through AFL-CIO Sports Council partnership

Photo courtesy of BDZ Sports/Wikimedia Commons

Coming right off a historic Olympic run, the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) just announced its partnership with the AFL-CIO Sports Council. Formed in 2022, the AFL-CIO Council works to build power across unions in professional sports, aligning the interests of athletes with those of service, hospitality, and other workers to support the professional sports industries. 

With the addition of the PWHL, the league became the 10th professional sports union to join the AFL-CIO Sports Council and the 65th affiliate of the nation's largest labor federation. This is a major step forward for women’s sports and an even greater step for athletes’ rights across all sports.

As I mentioned earlier, the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan rewrote the history of ice hockey. The U.S. Women’s Olympic team won gold in a 2-1 overtime win against Canada, marking their third Olympic gold medal. The win has brought ice hockey, especially women’s, to the forefront of the sports landscape. From social media exposure increase to sold-out arenas, the PWHL is looking at a major surge in popularity.

The PWHLPA represents a total of 184 professional hockey players across eight teams in the PWHL. Of those 184 players, 61 competed in these past Olympic Games, including the gold and silver medal teams of the U.S. and Canada. With the increased exposure, the league’s partnership with the AFL-CIO Sports Council could not have been more timely.

‍PWHLPA executive director Malaika Underwood spoke on the partnership, saying, “Our members know there is power in a union…That is why they organized to form the Players Association and negotiated a collective bargaining agreement before the first puck dropped in the PWHL. It is also why we are proud to join the AFL-CIO and its Sports Council today. We look forward to continuing the fight for the rights, fair pay, and the safety of our members as part of this historic labor federation, and to standing alongside our fellow unions to ensure all workers, including PWHL players, are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

Underwood made it a priority to secure affiliation with the AFL-CIO Sports Council soon after stepping into her position a year ago. She viewed this as the natural next step in the union and league’s continued growth. It is important to note that this thought process is not random or a business opportunity, but rather a building on what was already in place.

The PWHL was launched in 2023 and gained notoriety for becoming the first professional women’s sports league to begin play with a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) already in place, which is a negotiated contract between a league and its players’ union that outlines salaries, benefits, working conditions, and players’ rights. Since its inception, the privately owned six-team league has continued to grow expanding to eight teams this past summer, with plans to potentially add four more next season.

AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler spoke to The Associated Press about the affiliation, saying, "These players have platforms, and they have a voice and power. And when they use it to advance workers' issues, we all win…So I think connecting those common struggles has been at the root of why we think this partnership is so important."

As the PWHL continues to grow in popularity and visibility, the partnership between the league and the AFL-CIO Sports Council highlights a broader shift in the landscape of women’s professional sports. By strengthening labor representation while the league is still in its early stages, players are positioned for not only immediate protection but long-term influence in shaping the future of women’s sports.