NFL labour dispute intensifies, as lockout becomes more likely
Despite what National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell said, there is no way the NFL and the Players Association (NFLPA) can sign a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) before the Super Bowl. It would be an achievement if they were able
to do so before the current CBA expires in March. Unless the two sides meet that deadline, NFL owners have threatened a lockout. If it comes to that, it would be the first NFL work stoppage in 24 years.
The new agreement won’t be signed at all if the two sides don’t meet, and that it what is happening these days. There is little to no communication between the parties these days. Commissioner Roger Goodell emphasised as much. “It's not about the number
of meetings you have but the quality of those meetings,” the commissioner said. That’s not to imply that there have been a whole lot of meetings between the two sides of any quality. NFL’s lead negotiator Jeff Pash said that a formal bargaining session with
the full bargaining committee present hadn’t taken place since November.
Goodell said that productive negotiations required commitment and understanding from both sides. He said that negotiations required a combined effort to reach a position on which all sides can agree. Goodell said, “That's what productive negotiations are
all about. That's what we need to get to.” The commissioner said that it was very frustrating that the two sides hadn’t been able to negotiate properly.
The NFL isn’t the only side which feels frustrated. The sticking point of the negotiations is money. The NFL wants a larger share of the revenue off the top for itself. The owners argue that they need the money to cover escalating costs of Stadium upkeep,
renovations and investments in new projects. The owners say that the current financial model isn’t financially viable. The owners signed the CBA in a hurry and opted out of it the first chance they got.
The players association isn’t convinced either. They have asked the league open up its books to them for evaluation. The union won’t make concessions without first examining the league’s financial situation; and the league won’t open up its books. Owners
say that the players association already has extensive information about the league’s finances. The union said that it needs more details from the clubs before signing a new agreement. However, neither side has shown signs of budging.
NFLPA’s George Atallah said that the meetings with the NFL have been in vain. “What point is there sitting down beating ourselves over the head when they're saying, 'We want $1 billion (in player salaries) back,' and when we ask why they say, 'Because we
said so.'”
There is distrust between the two sides, and for good reason. There are billions of dollars on the line and both sides want the biggest share of the pie. The mistrust has culminated in a number of lawsuits. Recently the union took the NFL to court accusing
it of being in violation of the CBA. The players association says that the NFL didn’t negotiate TV deals in good faith to maximise revenue, revenue which was to be shared by the league and the players.
That lawsuit is an effort by the union to put pressure on the league and to force it to make concessions. The deals are worth billions of dollars of guaranteed money which the owners could use during a lockout. Without those guaranteed payments, the league
would be under pressure to make sure there is a 2011 season.
On Tuesday the players union filed another lawsuit against the NFL. The union has accused owners of improperly conspiring to control player salaries in a year without a salary cap. Clubs are barred from entering into any kind of agreement with each other
to restrict or limit contract negotiations under the CBA. Neither side has given out further details.
Special Master Stephen B. Burbank will hear both cases. The NFLPA would need to show clear evidence to prove collusion, which it is highly unlikely to be able to present.
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