The Canadian Football League Players’ Association (CFLPA) has directed its members to report to training camp so the union is in a position to execute a legal work stoppage if needed.
This was outlined in an internal memo that was distributed on Wednesday evening following a full day of negotiating with the CFL on a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The memo indicated that the league’s new offer addressed a number of the union’s areas of concern, though the CFLPA remains unsatisfied with the league’s latest offer.
Gentlemen,
Today, the CFL tabled a new offer which addressed a number of our key issues. Unfortunately, our expectations on these issues have not been satisfied, and our committee does not believe that our key issues have been sufficiently resolved at this time. We need to negotiate further with the CFL on these critical issues to meet the standards and expectations of our membership.
In order to do that, we need time and a united membership.
We have planned a work stoppage, if required, that will satisfy labour laws in each club’s respective province. It is in our best interest as a Union for our members to travel/report to their individual club’s training facilities to be in a position to execute a legal strike. Six of our nine teams (BC, Sask, MB, Ont) will be able to strike beginning at 12:01 AM on Sunday, May 15.
If a new collective agreement cannot be negotiated within a reasonable time following our work stoppage, the CFLPA will ensure that no player is stranded, and we are committing to pay for players’ flights or drives home, where they may remain until an agreement is reached.
In Solidarity,
Your CFL Players’ Association
The CFLPA recently advised its members not to travel to training camp due to a concern regarding players being stranded in their CFL cities in the event of a work stoppage. The union has now committed to covering travel costs for players who wish to return home, while the league has committed to feeding and housing players until the conclusion of a possible strike.
The league’s current CBA expires on Saturday, May 14 with training camps scheduled to open on Sunday, May 15.
