The Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Elks will be eligible to join the rest of the CFL’s players on strike by Thursday afternoon, the league revealed via its communications Twitter feed.
It was originally reported that the teams would only need to practice for three days in order to execute a work stoppage under Alberta employment law. The clubs practiced from Sunday through Wednesday and will do so again on Thursday morning before becoming eligible to strike at 12:25 p.m. MT.
It is expected that players on both teams will execute a work stoppage as they reportedly voted 99 percent in favour of doing so this past weekend.
Players in B.C., Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal went on strike on Sunday following the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement on Saturday. This is the first time that the members of the CFL Players’ Association (CFLPA) have executed a work stoppage in almost 50 years.
The CFLPA issued an internal communication to its membership late Tuesday night indicating that an update regarding the strike was coming. This could mean that a deal is close to being struck, though that remains unclear.
