CFLPA Tells Players Not to Report to TC Without New Deal

[jerrym]

The CFLPA has instructed players to not report to CFL TCs until there is a new deal.



The CFL Players' Association has instructed its players not to make travel arrangements to attend training camps when they open May 19. The union has also informed its membership it has no intention of working past May 18, which is the date the current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire.

"We have given the CFL a clear deadline that CFL players will not work past the expiry of the current collective agreement," union executive director Brian Ramsay said in a statement Wednesday. "We need to protect the rights of the membership. We are working hard to bargain in good faith and we firmly believe both sides should be willing to work as hard as possible to get an agreement done in a fair and timely manner. The CFL's unilateral decision to delay bargaining and withhold off-season compensation are aggressive acts and the membership is responding accordingly. We have the full support of our membership."

Contract talks between the two sides hit a snag last Wednesday when the CFLPA announced the league had unilaterally decided to delay negotiations for two weeks. Following two days of talks in Vancouver, Ramsay said the CFL set a date of April 29 as the earliest it could resume talks. Ramsay added the league told the union it had "other priorities" to take care of in the next two weeks. The two sides began talking March 11 and had met on 10 separate occasions before the delay, which comes the CFL and its players still negotiating non-monetary items.

A sticking point with players is the CFL's decision not to pay off-season bonuses until a new collective bargaining agreement is reached. In a memo to players, the CFLPA reiterated its stance regarding training camp.

"Do not agree to book yourself to travel prior to the 18th of May, 2019," the memo said."If travel is already confirmed, please re-communicate to your member clubs that you will be unable to travel until the day of the 18th.
https://www.tsn.ca/cflpa-tells-players-not-to-report-to-training-camp-without-new-agreement-1.1292216

[jerrym]

The CFLPA will hold a strike vote on Wednesday.

[jerrym]

It will be interesting to see whether the fact that no bonuses will be paid until a new CBA is reached helps unite the highly paid and the those near the bottom of the salary scale in anger about the CBA or pushes the highly paid towards trying to get a quick collective agreement.

[KCargosfan]

It will be interesting to see whether the fact that no bonuses will be paid until a new CBA is reached helps unite the highly paid and the those near the bottom of the salary scale in anger about the CBA or pushes the highly paid towards trying to get a quick collective agreement.

According to 3Down Nation, Reilly and BLM, the two highest-paid players in the league at around $700K apiece, have agreed not to report without a CBA. But to your point, whether they want to just push something through will be interesting.

[AngeloV]

According to 3Down Nation, Reilly and BLM, the two highest-paid players in the league at around $700K apiece, have agreed not to report without a CBA. But to your point, whether they want to just push something through will be interesting.

Of course, those guys both made more than 500k each of the last few years, so I don't think they will be squirming while waiting for their first paycheck in 2019. It's not reality to expect the majority of the PA to follow suit because these guys say so.

[jerrym]

Here's a list of players saying they will not report to camp.

https://3downnation.com/2019/04/21/list-of-players-who-say-they-arent-going-to-training-camp-continues-to-grow/

[jerrym]

Not surprisingly, considering how negotiations are going, 97% of players have voted to strike.

[jerrym]

The CFL continues to play hardball, saying that five teams are ineligible to strike because of the labour laws in their province.



The CFL says that players in five cities are not in a legal strike position and that teams will issue suspensions if they don’t show up for training camp. The league is also threatening to force players to pay for their own travel and accommodation if and when they do show up at training camp and that any “report and pass (https://3downnation.com/2019/04/23/report-and-pass-bonuses-at-risk-if-players-dont-show-up-for-camp-sources/)” bonuses could be at risk. ...

The letter says that players could be subject to “other disciplinary penalties as determined with the club” and the league and its teams will “avail ourselves of any and all legal remedies against the CFLPA… and any players who participate in an illegal strike.”

Labour laws differ from province to province and, according to the CFL, the players not in Ontario and Alberta are not in a legal strike position. That covers franchises in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Edmonton and Calgary.

General managers across the league delivered the message in a letter to all players sent Tuesday afternoon.
https://3downnation.com/2019/04/30/league-says-players-arent-in-legal-strike-position-threaten-suspensions/

[jerrym]

It looks increasingly like there will be a strike. Furthermore, it appears that it will occur in two waves because of provincial labour laws.



CFL players are planning to strike in two separate waves if a new collective bargaining agreement isn’t reached, the union said on Thursday.

With the current deal with the CFL set to expire on May 18 – the day before training camps are set to open – players in B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec have been instructed not to show up to training camp while players in Alberta and Ontario will have to report due to provincial labour laws.

Those players are expected to go on strike May 23, CFLPA executive director Brian Ramsay said on a conference call with members of the media.

“In the four provinces that will be in a legal position we will be on strike and they won’t show up for camp,” Ramsay said. “There will be some teams that, due to provincial labour laws, they will have to [report] and that’s what we’ve instructed the members to do. Once they’ve followed the appropriate labour laws, the players in those provinces will be on strike as well.” ...

The first pre-season game is scheduled to take place on May 26 with the regular season kicking off on June 6.

Ramsay said the union remains focused on getting a deal done with the CFL but that time is getting short. The two sides just concluded three days of talks in Toronto but aren’t scheduled to meet again until May 12. The league has repeatedly slowed the pace of negotiations, including taking an extended break in April.
https://3downnation.com/2019/05/09/cfl-players-to-go-on-strike-in-two-separate-waves-if-no-deal-is-reached-union/

[jerrym]

A deal has been reached with the number of Nationals remaining constant.



More details about the new collective bargaining agreement between the union and the players are leaking out and it seems smart to recap what (we think) we know based on the reporting of generally reputable sources:

three-year deal with a $50,000 increase in the salary cap each season.
minimum salary stays the same in 2019 ($53,000) then jumps to $65,000 in 2020 and 2021.
the three-year deal times up with the expiration of the league’s TV contract with TSN.
some form of revenue sharing on any new TV deal and CFL 2.0.
medical coverage for up to three years for injured players.
Canadian quarterbacks will be part of the ratio.
some protection for veteran American players, including three of the seven international starters must have played three years with their current team or four years in the CFL.
the ratio will remain the same through the duration of the CBA.
no more unpaid bonuses in the lead up to a new CBA.
the addition of an extra roster spot for an international player.
https://3downnation.com/2019/05/15/what-we-know-about-the-new-cba/

[doubleblue]

A deal has been reached with the number of Nationals remaining constant.

https://3downnation.com/2019/05/15/what-we-know-about-the-new-cba/

We will have to wait for the full disclosure. But that line about "three of seven international starters" doesn't make sense to me. Didn't know the League was going to put a limit on American players becoming Nationals after three or four years. That's how they got in trouble before trying to limit how many Americans could become Canadians after 5 years and getting their citizenship. Court case shot it down. Maybe if they could go by seniority of games played. 54 games on the roster or injured list would make up three years? Have to see how that plays out.

[CFLfan]

We will have to wait for the full disclosure. But that line about "three of seven international starters" doesn't make sense to me. Didn't know the League was going to put a limit on American players becoming Nationals after three or four years. That's how they got in trouble before trying to limit how many Americans could become Canadians after 5 years and getting their citizenship. Court case shot it down. Maybe if they could go by seniority of games played. 54 games on the roster or injured list would make up three years? Have to see how that plays out.

The CFL can make up their own rules, if they classify International players as Nationals after 5 years it is up to them. Nothing to do with our immigration or citizenship laws.
The Canadian QB rule is not clear either. If the QB is counted as "starters" then they could remove a National player on offene and put in an extra international player. The Argos could start Bridge and go with an all International at receivers, all teams now go with at least one National receiver.

[doubleblue]

The CFL can make up their own rules, if they classify International players as Nationals after 5 years it is up to them. Nothing to do with our immigration or citizenship laws.
The Canadian QB rule is not clear either. If the QB is counted as "starters" then they could remove a National player on offene and put in an extra international player. The Argos could start Bridge and go with an all International at receivers, all teams now go with at least one National receiver.

Before when the League tried to limit the number of Americans who received their Canadian Citizenship to three per team, a player eligible filed a discrimination case against the League. So that rule was discontinued.
But this new rule that each team has to have at least 3 International starters with at least 3 years years experience with that team is definitely different then the first reports of three being declared Nationals after 3 years. Can't see that causing much difference, as most teams would easily have that many Internationals starting. I think it is bordering on crazy for the officials trying to keep track of it all.
A starting Canadian QB would in almost every case be backed up by an International QB and any team using one to start would be starting a total of 8 Canadians to cover themselves in case of injury. The biggest difference IMO would be another Import backup available instead of a 3rd string QB holding a clip board.

[doubleblue]

Some reports out there that at least one team has voted no on the new deal. Training Camp may be on hold.

[Will]

It was quite a hectic evening. There was apparently an issue with some of the details of the CBA that allegedly the CFL tried to change at the 11th hour. This led to a bit of drama on Twitter as Als OL Tony Washington announced that the players were on strike. It seems that the issue was resolved at the last moment, but it did lead to some tense moments for this writer.

[CFLfan]

Before when the League tried to limit the number of Americans who received their Canadian Citizenship to three per team, a player eligible filed a discrimination case against the League. So that rule was discontinued.
But this new rule that each team has to have at least 3 International starters with at least 3 years years experience with that team is definitely different then the first reports of three being declared Nationals after 3 years. Can't see that causing much difference, as most teams would easily have that many Internationals starting. I think it is bordering on crazy for the officials trying to keep track of it all.
A starting Canadian QB would in almost every case be backed up by an International QB and any team using one to start would be starting a total of 8 Canadians to cover themselves in case of injury. The biggest difference IMO would be another Import backup available instead of a 3rd string QB holding a clip board.

Definitely some interesting scenarios and a few questions that need to be clarified.
If a starting National gets injured then they can replace him with an International that has 3 years experience with his team or 4 years with another team. This avoids the citizenship rule and a reduction of the Canadian ratio. It's a good move.
The other rule is the Canadian QB counting against the ratio. If Bridge becomes the starter then they can start 6 Canadians plus Bridge, they have created an extra international position. If Bridge had been the starter last year then the Argo would have to start 7 Canadians.

I can't see any other Canadian QB becoming a starter this year. People are talking about O'Connor but even Flutie didn't start in his first year in the CFL and he was an ex Heisman winner and had some NFL experience. No other team has a Canadian QB that is close to being a starter.

[AngeloV]

I can't see any other Canadian QB becoming a starter this year. People are talking about O'Connor but even Flutie didn't start in his first year in the CFL and he was an ex Heisman winner and had some NFL experience. No other team has a Canadian QB that is close to being a starter.

Actually, Flutie did start his first year in the CFL. He has replaced within games by Joe Paopao, but he did start immediately when he joined the Lions in 1990.