NFL and NFLPA resume labour negotiations as deadline approaches
Last week the National Football League (NFL) and the Players Association (NFLPA) concluded seven days of intense negotiations with very little to show for it. The meetings were held in the offices of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS)
with director George Cohen as Mediator.
On the final day of negotiations, Cohen confirmed that the there were still outstanding differences which the week long negotiations could not resolve. Now the League and the Players Association have until 3rd March to resolve those fundamental
differences. The two sides resumed negotiations on Tuesday. The meeting lasted six hours and for the first time one of the NFL owners was present.
New York Giants owner John Mara joined Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay, Washington Redskins general manager Bruce Allen and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in the eighth formal bargaining session since 8th February.
“I don't think you could have a greater sense of urgency,” NFL’s lead negotiator, Jeff Pash said before Tuesday’s meeting. He added, “We all know what the calendar is, and we all know what's at stake for everybody. And that's why we're here. We're going
to be here as long as it takes and work as hard as we can work to get something done.”
The two sides will meet again tomorrow and NFLPA president Kevin Mawae is expected to be present during the meeting. Negotiations can continue until midnight on Thursday before the current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires. Unless real progress
is made by then, the Players Association is expected to decertify before the owners can lock out players.
There is no optimism regarding the negotiations and all sides are preparing for the lockout. Cohen requested the league and the union not to talk to the media about any progress or impasse during the negotiations. There is however, the remote possibility
that real progress is being made without word of it being leaked to the press.
“Everything I'm telling my guys is: Prepare this Friday for the start of a lockout,” Buffalo Bills safety, George Wilson told the Associated Press. He added, “I certainly don't believe a deal will be reached by Thursday midnight. That's what I feel in my
heart. I have not received any indication (from the union) that we're close to a deal.”
At the core of the dispute is money. The NFL wants a bigger piece of the pie and the players union is not willing to concede. This dispute won’t be resolved until and unless one side loses the will to continue resisting. It is essentially a billion dollar
game of who blinks first. The NFL might lose this game.
Until yesterday, the NFL had access to a war chest of over $4 billion dollars to use during the lockout. Now that money will be held in escrow after a ruling by district court judge, Dave Doty. The ruling found that the NFL acted in its own interest when
it signed TV deals for more guaranteed money instead of maximum revenue.
The ruling is a major victory for the Players Association and puts pressure on the NFL to get a deal done quickly. According to NFL estimates, $300 million in revenue will be lost if a new collective bargaining agreement is not signed and normal football
operations do not resume by August, before the preseason begins.
That number rises to nearly a billion dollars if there is no football by September, when the regular season begins. The NFL further estimates that nearly $400 million will be lost each week that goes by without a labour deal. The stakes are high and both
sides want to get a deal done at the earliest. However, if either side gives even an inch in these negotiations, taking it back will be almost impossible. They have to be as stubborn as practically possible.
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