CFL REJECTS NEW OFFER

The players want to play and that is the consensus at the camps currently underway in various cities, but hopes at this stage look dismal.

Wanting to restart the collective bargaining talks the CFL Players Association submitted a new four-year offer to the league earlier in the week.

This new offer included reductions on several financial proposals from the previously made last week, but the league rejected the new numbers, pushing the players closer to a possible work stoppage.

The players financial proposals (at that time) included a $5.2 million salary cap in 2014 ($4.8 million minimum) that grew to $6.0 million ($5.4 million minimum) after four seasons, where the minimum salary would start at $50,000 dollars in 2014, and grow to $53,000 by 2017.

Earlier the players offered a $5.8 million salary cap that would grow 3% annually, which to many did seem to be a fair offer.

It seemed the main part of the union’s financial recommendations was a “Revenue Protection Clause” created to set a threshold to renegotiate the salary cap.

This should the CFL’s aggregate revenues drastically increased and in the third year of a new deal, the players would want to renegotiate the cap if league revenues increased $12 million from the previous year.

The players’ newest offer currently on the table is one that would be set at $18 million.

The union also revised pension contributions ($4,000 per player and $4,000 per club), and “Compensation for Veterans for Increase in Salary Expenditure Cap” set at $8,500 for veterans and $1,500 for rookies.

And the union maintained its desire to discuss other points, including practice times and numbers of contact practices, and salary protection and medical treatment if players are injured late in season.

Last week, the CFL offered a $5 million cap and a threshold to reopen discussions on the salary cap limit if league-wide revenues increased by $27 million from the previous year, also in the third season of a new CBA.

Just a few short hours before the current CBA expired, CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon called it the league’s “final” offer and given the stage of the talks one can only assume that the CFL has not moved from.

“It is obvious to your Negotiating Committee that notwithstanding our effort to resolve this matter, the only possible way of convincing them that they should reconsider their position will be with a work stoppage.”

The Players Association’s memo closes by stating players will be advised what the union’s next move is once strike ballots from Calgary and Edmonton are counted.

It’s like a chess match – THE ONE WITH THE MOST PAWNS WINS – CHECK MATE!!!!