Canadas largest private-sector union, which is trying to organize major junior hockey players across the country, is scheduled to meet on Monday with Ontarios minister of labour to discuss the working conditions faced in the Canadian Hockey League by its 1,700 mostly teenaged players. Jerry Dias, Unifors president, said he plans to ask Ontario Labour Minister Kevin Flynn to establish a task force charged with scrutinizing the business of junior hockey. Dias told TSN that when he met with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne three weeks ago at Queens Park, Wynne brought up the issue of working conditions in junior hockey with him. Dias said Wynne told him she is interested in learning more about whether players get a fair share of the games profits. Flynns spokesman Craig MacBride declined to comment. Wynnes spokeswoman Zita Astravas said both the premier and Flynn have already met with Dias. "Discussions covered a wide range of topics," she said. "Unifor is an important partner and our government looks forward to a positive relationship with labour." Two years after a similar attempt to organize CHL players fizzled out, Unifor is trying again. The union, which represents about 300,000 workers in various industries, says major junior players are underpaid and exploited by the owners of junior teams that have become hugely profitable in recent years. The CHL says thats not true. Players dont receive more compensation because the leagues consider them student athletes, said CHL commissioner David Branch. Many players are also eligible for valuable scholarship programs when they finish playing junior hockey, he said in an interview. Dias said Unifor staff have spent the past few weeks trying to determine how governments in the U.S. states of Washington, Oregon, Michigan and Pennsylvania -- states where eight of the CHLs 60 teams play -- view major junior players. Canadian students who attend U.S. schools, such as the University of Michigan, obtain student visas to travel across the border. But NHL player agent Anton Thun said that since OHL players have "P1" work visas, its unclear how Branch and other league officials can consider those players as student athletes. "I dont profess to know the immigration laws," Branch said. "I dont know what you need to facilitate a player playing in the U.S." Thun said the three major junior leagues in Canada are desperate to keep their player costs down at the same time as the leagues collective profits have surged. "These leagues have gone from being mom and pop businesses in the 1980s to hugely profitable money-making private businesses that sell millions of dollars in tickets, hundreds of thousands of dollars in jerseys and sponsorships and TV rights. The truth is junior teams are no longer what they say they are." Most CHL teams are private companies and dont disclose their finances, though Branch said roughly one-third of teams lose money. He declined to provide any estimates on how much money cash-rich or cash-poor teams generate. The Kitchener Rangers, who are publicly owned, play in a city with a population of 219,000. In August 2013, the team reported total revenue of $6.2 million for the previous season, up from $5.6 million. The Rangers sold $470,000 worth of team merchandise alone. One of the lures of playing major junior hockey is the chance to earn a scholarship that can later go to pay for a players post-secondary education. The packages can add up to more than $40,000, depending on how long a player plays in the CHL. Thun said a union might help spur a discussion about simply paying players that money in cash. "Why not just give it to them, and let them and their families decide whether to invest it, or spend it on a car, or something else that they want or need," Thun said. Branch, however, said the parents of players have been supportive of the scholarship packages, even though it expires if a player doesnt go to school within 18 months of their junior career. In a focus group of about 16 families of OHL players that was conducted five years ago, most parents said they supported the time limit, Branch said. "What if the kids indiscriminately spend the money, what are they left with?" Branch said. "Parents have suggested there is a value to putting a framework in place to encourage players to go on to a post-secondary education." Branch said hes unsure what it might mean for teams if they were forced to begin paying a minimum wage to players. Unifors Dias said an average 40-hour work week adds up to about 2,000 hours a year. If players in Ontario were paid the minimum wage of $11 per hour for half the year, it would work out to about $11,000 per player, or at least $220,000 a year for each team. Its unclear how much teams now pay for players, but in recent years, the OHL paid players $55 a week. The league recently introduced new guidelines where teams re-imburse players for expenses instead of paying them a set weekly amount. Not everyone would embrace the concept of a union. Bob Stellick, a sports marketing executive whose son Robert played two years in the OHL, said many parents would shrug off the idea of a union. "I dont think $50 a week really makes any difference for most families," said Stellick, whose Toronto company has produced public service announcements for the CHL. "The key for parents is the type of experience their son gets. If the player doesnt play to family expectations, isnt drafted, gets traded once or twice, and doesnt complete high school, then yes the family would be sour." Award-winning journalist Rick Westhead is TSNs Senior Correspondent for TSNs platforms - TSN, TSN Radio, TSN.ca and TSN GO. He has covered a wide variety of sports issues for a slate of leading publications, among them the Toronto Star, Bloomberg News, Canadian Press, Globe and Mail, New York Times, and Saturday Night Magazine. Earlier this year, Westhead was part of a team that won the prestigious Project of the Year at the National Newspaper Awards. He was also honoured with the Toronto Stars Reporter of the Year Award in 2007. Share your comments with Rick Westhead on Twitter at @rwesthead. Justin Bethel Falcons Jersey . - Houston defensive end J. Isaiah Oliver Falcons Jersey . -- LeGarrette Blount wasnt satisfied with three short touchdown runs, not against a team coming off the second greatest comeback in playoff history. http://www.falconsrookiestore.com/Falcons-Isaiah-Oliver-Jersey/. As each game passes (each has played close with the exception of last night) it becomes clearer just how evenly matched these two teams are and how one mistake, or one bad inning, is likely to sway the result. Deadrin Senat Jersey . So it was understandable if he was a little shaky early in his return to the Texas Rangers rotation. He spent most of the outing searching for his best stuff, but still managed to shut down the struggling Minnesota Twins offence. Calvin Ridley Jersey . But San Diego had even more trouble against right-hander Tanner Roark, who pitched a three-hitter for the first complete game of his career as the Nationals shut out the Padres 4-0. The 27-year-old set down the first 16 batters before San Diego catcher Rene Rivera, an .CHICAGO -- Joakim Noah led the Chicago Bulls past the Atlanta Hawks and gave the fans an added bonus in the process. Noah scored 19 points as part of his first triple-double of the season in the Bulls 100-85 win over the Hawks on Tuesday night. His two late free throws provided the Bulls with their final points and secured free Big Macs for the fans. "Those were tough free throws, man," Noah said. Not much else seemed difficult for Noah and the Bulls. Noah added 16 rebounds and 11 assists, and Taj Gibson had 24 points and 12 rebounds, and Jimmy Butler had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Bulls, who had six players score in double figures. Chicago won its fourth straight against the Hawks and sixth in a row at home versus Atlanta. Noah had his fourth career triple-double and first since Feb. 28, 2013, against Philadelphia. He completed this one with an assist on Gibsons basket with 9:59 left. The performance capped a strong stretch for Noah, who has had at least 10 rebounds in four straight games and at least 14 points in three of his last four contests. "I think the big thing is hes healthy. Hes gotten into rhythm," Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said. "I think missing training camp set him back offensively. Defensively hes been terrific all year." The Bulls were without Carlos Boozer for the third straight game because of a left calf strain, and he was replaced in the starting lineup by Gibson. That didnt hurt Chicago much, as the Bulls (26-25) outrebounded the Hawks 57-28, won for the third time in four games, and pulled a half-game in front of Atlanta (25-25) in the Eastern Conference. "Were playing with a lot of defensive intensity," Gibson said. "We got guys great looks. We were real unselfish." The Hawks have lost a season-high four straight overall. They fell behind big early, trailing by 25 points during the second quarter. Atlanta cut its deficit to eight with 8:47 left in the fourth on Mike Scotts 3-pointer, but Chicago answered with the next six points. "I think the second half is what we expect from our group, what we expect of each other, and the challenges to find a way to play that way for 48 minutes," Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said.dddddddddddd The first half clearly wasnt. Noah, who was presented his All-Star jersey before the game by Bulls general manager Gar Forman, had six points, six rebounds and six assists during the opening quarter. He ended the first half with seven points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists for the Bulls, who led 58-39 after coming home from a 3-3 trip. "Usually when you come back from a West Coast trip like that you exhale," Noah said. "Nobody exhaled. We played hard and it was a good win for us." Coming off a 79-76 loss to Memphis, in which the Hawks held the Grizzlies to an NBA-record low one free throw, Atlantas offence woke up too late. The Hawks shot 43.8 for the game after making 40 per cent in the first half. All-star forward Paul Millsap had 15 for the Hawks but his streak of four games with at least 10 rebounds was snapped as he had two. Lou Williams added 13 points, and Jeff Teague had 12. "We just have to stay together," Millsap said. "Get back to playing our style of basketball. We feel like we have not played at our pace in the last few games." Kyle Korver extended his NBA record streak of at least one 3-pointer to 119 games with a shot 15 seconds into the second quarter. Korver hasnt gone without one since Nov. 2, 2012, against Houston. But that was the lone Atlanta highlight. The Bulls had a few more, and Noah was responsible for plenty of them. "It feels great to play well. Theres no better feeling, especially when you win," Noah said. "A lot of guys stepped up." NOTES: Thibodeau said that Derrick Rose will "most likely not" practice with the team this season. Rose was ruled out for the season after tearing the meniscus in his right knee on Nov. 22. ... The Hawks signed Cartier Martin to a second 10-day contract. Martin also played six games with the Bulls earlier this season. ... Both teams have one game remaining before the All-Star break. ... Teagues brother, Marquis, was traded by the Bulls to Brooklyn on Jan. 21 for forward Tornike Shengelia. ... Atlanta is 9-12 without Al Horford, who is out for the season because of an injured right pectoral muscle. Cheap Nuggets Jerseys Cheap Timberwolves Jerseys Cheap Thunder Jerseys Cheap Blazers Jerseys Cheap Jazz Jerseys Cheap Warriors Jerseys Cheap Clippers Jerseys Cheap Lakers Jerseys Cheap Suns Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Cheap Mavericks Jerseys Cheap Rockets Jerseys Cheap Grizzlies Jerseys Cheap Pelicans Jerseys Cheap Spurs Jerseys ' ' '