Nothing surprising about League's first CBA offer to Players’ Association -NHL Update
The National Hockey League (NHL) has made its first proposal to the Players’ Association, but surprisingly, it was not any different from what many analysts had already predicted in the start.
During a new round of negotiations between the two stakeholders on Friday, July 13, 2012, it is reported that the NHL has put forth an offer which had been designed to literally show the Players’ Association what the league thinks a perfect situation would
be.
Obviously, it is not what the union will accept in any case but instead, the league has set out what the most optimal situation for them would be and in order to break the ice, a concept offer was put forth.
In it, the NHL wanted the players revenue share decreased from 57 percent to 46 percent along with them serving at least 10 years in the league before going into an unrestricted free agency and eliminate the arbitration process altogether.
These propositions would definitely nip the wings of powers that the player union has at the moment with arbitration being a major factor in contracts being negotiations when a deadlock is faced by both sides.
For now, Donald Fehr, executive director for the NHL Players’ Association, had not given any confirmation whether they are rejecting or approving it, but instead, took it more politically to say a review is in process.
"Eight players on the negotiating committee, along with NHLPA staff, met with Commissioner Gary Bettman, four NHL owners and a number of League staff and legal counsel at the League’s office in New York. Following today’s meeting, we will review the NHL’s
initial presentation with the Players’ committee before reconvening for further talks later next week," Fehr said after the negotiations on Friday in New York.
Entry-level contracts were also mentioned by the NHL to be taken up to at least five years instead of the common three-year deals players are given when first entering the league.
The biggest disappointment faced by the Players’ Association during the talks over a new collective bargaining agreement, since the current one will be expiring on September 15, is easily the cut of share of players from the league revenue.
Since the NHL is making record profits, demanding a smaller cut for players only seems illogical on the union’s side.
Updates on the issue should be expected in the upcoming days.
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