Sad to say, but this is modern day economics. No matter what your profession, if you can't/won't accept whatever the fair/unfair terms of your employment may be, there is no shortage of people who try to undercut your position. At least that's the view the "employers" never fail to remind you of!
The employers generally hold ALL the cards! They know that some employees will give in and accept the deal. Those that won't are "easily" replaced by generally undertrained, inexperienced new hires. This leads to all kinds of problems within the surviving employee group. The employers don't care, because they're "saving money." Only IF the customers notice, and either complain, or take their business elsewhere, will they sometimes re-think their position.
This happens everywhere, and the NFL is no exception.