"The violence that has occurred cannot be condoned and has no place in the way that labor relations and inter-union relations should be conducted, " said Mildred Oliphant, the minister of labor.

CNN: August 17, 2012 -- Updated 0129 GMT (0929 HKT)

Benson has filed a claim against both sides: (1) he appealed his NFL suspension right back to Commissioner Goodell, an appeal that will be heard today in New York and (2) he filed an unfair labor practice charge against his own union with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

FORBES: Locked-Out Discipline

Labor groups have tried for years to form a union, filing dozens of complaints with the National Labor Relations Board.

WSJ: Mixed-Martial Arts Wins Political Support in N.Y., Conn.

Employers who try to discipline staff for comments on Facebook can run into Federal laws, especially if the employees are union members and come under the National Labor Relations Act.

FORBES: Social Media Expands to New Roles in Finance

"This is the first time a substantial body of workers is splitting away" from the ANC's union, said Devan Pillay, a labor-relations professor at Wits University.

WSJ: South Africa Labor Unrest Spurs Deadly Gunbattle

Then, the National Labor Relations Board responded to a complaint from a Seattle union by telling Boeing it could not open a new manufacturing facility in South Carolina.

FORBES: Right-To-Work Shifts America

States with "right to work" laws that make union organizing more difficult had twice the job growth of Ohio and other forced union states from 1995-2005, according to the National Institute for Labor Relations.

WSJ: Texas v. Ohio

The National Labor Relations Board's complaint earlier this year that Boeing illegally had tried to shift union work to the plant enraged the broader business community, fraying relations with the Obama administration.

WSJ: Year of the Oops: 2011 Was Spent in Reverse

We are going to make sure that the National Labor Relations Board is restored to have some balance so that if workers want to form a union, they can at least get a fair vote in a reasonable amount of time.

WHITEHOUSE: Making the Right Choice for the Economy

The response of the NFL was to file a charge with National Labor Relations Board arguing that the NFLPA has not negotiated with the league in good faith and claim the union wants to evade its collective bargaining obligations so it can use antitrust litigation to enjoin a lawful lockout.

FORBES: NFL And Wisconsin Labor Battles Are Both About Power Of Monopolies