League reportedly wants complete control over realignment, scheduling and playoff format -NHL Update
The National Hockey League (NHL) and Players’ Association is still far from agreeing on a mutual basis on a new collective bargaining agreement with the current labour deal coming to an end on September 15, 2012.
But there are a lot more technicalities that have been a major reason for the current deadlock between the two stakeholders as according to nbcsports.com, the league is looking for far more control than it had previous and the NHLPA is not willing to give
that to them.
According to the report, the NHL is looking to take complete control over some issues like realignment of teams around the league and divisions, along with regular season scheduling and playoff format. One of the clauses in the league’s initial CBA proposals
for a new labour deal included that very same format, which the union rejected without taking a second look.
As the Players’ Association was quick to act in refusing the clause and overall proposal, which also included a number of other amendments back in January of 2012, so was the league in condemning their act and terming it to be a “violation of the league’s
rights”.
“It is unfortunate that the NHLPA has unreasonably refused to approve a plan that an overwhelming majority of our clubs voted to support, and that has received such widespread support from our fans and other members of the hockey community, including players,”
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement. “We have now spent the better part of four weeks attempting to satisfy the NHLPA’s purported concerns with the plan with no success.”
As the NHL is not willing to allow third-party arbitration in any of their matters, there is nowhere to go for the labour union to seek outside help in deciding who is asking for a fair deal and who is taking advantage of the other.
The upcoming regular season is in serious threat of being locked out, the second time in less than a decade, and could definitely have some unforeseen consequences that neither side will be able to live up to.
Updates on the issue should be expected in upcoming days and weeks.
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