[Racer Duck]

Lewis Hamilton has reportedly agreed to contribute $30,000 to the formula one drivers' union, despite still not wanting to become a GPDA member.

This comes after Grand Prix Drivers' Association stalwart Jarno Trulli slammed the few active racers - including Adrian Sutil and the two Ferrari drivers - who are refusing to join the safety-oriented body.

The Italian revealed that the fees for GPDA membership are $1000 upfront and 200 dollars per point scored. "If the top guys are uninterested, there's a lack of money for the GPDA to survive and it's always the unlucky ones, the ones who get paid less, who have to sustain the costs," Trulli was quoted as saying.

"What I don't understand is if you might not want to be part of the GPDA then you can do what you want but at least pay the money since you go on the track too," he added.

The Daily Record reports that Hamilton, the 23-year-old McLaren driver who has scored 20 points so far this season, did indeed agree to "dip into his salary and fork out his share".

[NASCAR Gnome]

30 grand? For Lewis Hamilton?

That'd be like me donating $20 to the local high school football team's annual fundraiser!

Have you checked on what Hamilton makes driving for McLaren? 300 grand would make me raise one eyebrow but 30 grand is almost what you would pay for a decent Patek Philippe...

[Racer Duck]

let's see:

20 points at $200 a point is $4 grand, plus the #1k one time charge .. young Hamilton paid 6 times what he should have.

maybe he was paying the other driver's "fees" too!!!

[DOF_power]

What blackmail ?!
Trulli just told them something like "look you idiots this is a dangerous sport".

[Racer Duck]

Originally Posted by DOF_power

What blackmail ?!
Trulli just told them something like "look you idiots this is a dangerous sport".

I read it differently. It seemed to me what Trulli said was "whether you want to join GPDA or not, you must help support it."

He also made the classic moaning noises of a union shill citing "we must have 100% support or we do not have the clout we need."

Unless it's a requirement of FIA F1, Hamilton and the others who choose not to join because they don't like the management are perfectly within their rights as free citizens of the F1 community. This is akin to forcing a first class airline passenger to join the airline's private first class lounge club because they choose to travel in the first class section.

I'm not knocking the GPDA, nor the work they do. But this kind of public arm twisting doesn't put them (the management) in a good light.

[jks812]

Originally Posted by Racer Duck

"What I don't understand is if you might not want to be part of the GPDA then you can do what you want but at least pay the money since you go on the track too," he added.

I'll admit I don't keep up with this alot. But if they don't want to join then why should they have to pay the fees anyway? That don't make alot of sense.

[Bob Tanner]

Originally Posted by jks812

I'll admit I don't keep up with this alot. But if they don't want to join then why should they have to pay the fees anyway? That don't make alot of sense.

The way the unions look at it, they figure whatever cockamamie things they force on the people running a business all the workers, union members or not, receive the same benefits so why not make them pay?

It's so bad in this country that some states actually had to pass Right to Works laws. This let a person work for a communis... oops (sorry) union organized company and not have to join the union.

This is where the union-backed fee checkage began. It's almost identical to what they're doing in the subject thread.

BTW, in case you haven't guessed, I am no fan of organized labour, in any form.

[jks812]

I'm not either Bob. I didn't think though that if you didn't join the union you still had to pay the fees. And if they really don't have to, I think it's stupid that the guy is pressuring them to pay.
And as for Trulli telling them, it's a dangerous sport, I doubt they didn't know that until he told them that. Geez I guess thats what he wants the big bucks for, huh?
As far as how much Hamilton gave compared to how much he earns, I wouldn't have gave them anything if I hadn't joined it.

[DOF_power]

There seems an overly american menthality around here revolving around the fact the all unions are like ... say UAW or something.

Even more I sense a naivity that is mind boggling.

The fact that a driver isn't part of the GPDA doesn't mean he won't benefit from safety improvement brought thanks to it. Everyone will benefit if they'll make a wider run-off area at a dangerous spot (the ripping the benefits but not paying for it is very much true).

But the worst part is that some of these guys aren't concerned at all, or even worse "are making their moves" due to PR/financial and/or political interests or personal grudges.

Let's get something straight, safety improvements in F1 didn't begun in the late 60s because the FIA or the manufacturers or the track owners did something.
It started with the GPDA because they didn't do a damn thing.
It started from the bottom to the top, and it was the GPDA who cancelled races that were unsafe, are responsable for the creation of Formula Medicine (witch NASCAR drivers don't have but would like to as we talked on some topics) and convicing the teams to pay for it and so on .

Here were when it started and notice how much in F1 has changed since then:

YouTube - Jackie Stewart: Oh no, not again...
YouTube - Formula One 1973 track inspection by drivers


And yeah I do belive Trulli was somewhat out of line, but those "influenced movers" (and Hamilton is the worst "anything for the sponsors"/PR machine) are a lot worse.
I personally think M. Schumcher should return to GPDA and pull some of those guys togheter again.