NHL in fresh hopes of starting negotiations on new CBA with NHLPA-NHL News
Fresh hopes on the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the National Hockey League (NHL) and NHL Players Association (NHLPA) have surfaced following confirmation from the league office that it was ready talk to the union on the issue.
Yet a breakthrough is not expected before end of the current NHL season in June 2012 when all the players are going to be available to participate in the talks.
NHL’s commissioner, Gary Bettman, following his latest offer of talks to the union representatives, said he was waiting for a formal reply from the players’ association office.
The league is reported to have sent the financial terms of the agreement to the union for consideration. However, nothing is expected out of it in the near future.
He said:
"That's something that we're relying on the union for right now. We've been ready to go for months but there's a new executive director and he's getting up to speed, meeting with his constituents and when the union's ready, then we'll start."
The NHL’s boss was referring to new executive director of NHLPA, Donald Fehr. He previously had represented the American baseball players association and joined the NHLPA in 2010.
In an email from the union office to media, the spokesman, Jonathan Weatherdon, said that the union office is talking to players to prepare for the negotiations. However, final recommendations are less likely to be prepared before June this year.
The spokesman said:
"At our request, the NHL recently supplied the NHLPA with some initial financial information that we are currently reviewing. While we do not have a set date for formal negotiations to begin, we expect negotiations will begin when we have players available
to participate in bargaining sessions.”
The union is also said to have not finalised the issues that it is going to present in the meeting with NHL. There is no confirmation either if the new CBA will be an extension to the present agreement, which is expiring on September 15, 2012.
Some reports have claimed that the players’ union is going to demand a cut in the players’ share in the league’s revenues from the present 57 per cent to an unknown ratio. It will be one of the key points to be discussed at the meeting between the two organisations.
NHL office has not commented on the issue of the players’ revenue share. A meeting of the NHL office-bearers, recently held in the Las Vegas with Bettman in the chair, discussed the matters such as TV contracts and general business.
The meeting did not discuss the CBA matter, but hopes that the planned talk with the union members will be held and progress without any interruption or deadlock like the one happened in 2004-05.
The office remains optimistic to receive an earliest possible response from the NHLPA on its financial proposals and other pertaining matters, paving the way for negotiations for the final agreement.
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