Tentative Agreement Reached

A tentative agreement has been reached in the CFL labour dispute, averting a possible players’ strike as stated by both the CFL and the CFL Players’ Association late Saturday evening.

“A tentative agreement has been reached between the Canadian Football League and the Canadian Football League Players’ Association on a new collective agreement.

It is pending ratification by a vote of the Players and the CFL’s Board of Governors, which will be scheduled as soon as possible. Further details will not be made public until these votes have taken place.”

A league source requesting anonymity said the CFL and union agreed to the deal Saturday after two days of bargaining with the help of a mediator.

Then the CFLPA executive committee presented the deal to team reps during a four-plus hour conference call Saturday night.

The source said the agreement calls for a $5-million salary cap. Although the exact term of the deal wasn’t immediately known, the source added the two sides had discussed a four-year contract early Saturday that called for cap increases of $50,000 annually.

However, after the league and union ended their formal talks in the afternoon, the source said two additional options were brought into play prior to the conference call with player reps: a contract covering five years or five plus a one-year option.

The CFLPA had initially wanted a $6.24-million cap before amending its demand to $5.2 million. Last year, the CFL salary cap was $4.4 million.

Players will also reportedly receive signing bonuses of $7,500 for veterans and $1,500 for rookies.

The CFL minimum salary also increases $5,000 to $50,000, something the two sides had agreed to earlier.

Players react strongly

The league did get a major concession from the union on the gross revenue formula that would trigger the renegotiation of the cap or entire collective agreement.

The players, who initially wanted the CBA to include revenue sharing, had called for the cap or entire agreement to be renegotiated if league revenues increased by more than $18 million — excluding the Grey Cup — in the third year of the deal.

The CFL wanted that figure to be $27 million and the union ultimately agreed.

The source added the agreement also calls for the elimination of the option year on CFL contracts, excluding rookies, which the union had wanted.

The players’ practice day goes from 4.5 hours daily to a maximum of six hours with just one padded practice a week during the season.

In today’s sporting world – is this a good deal for everyone?