Toronto – The Canadian Football League Players’ Association (CFLPA) bargaining committee has informed the CFLPA membership under contract to seven of nine clubs to not report for CFL training camps on Sunday, May 15.
Every effort continues to be made by the CFLPA bargaining committee to reach a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the CFL on a new and fair collective agreement before the current one expires at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, May 15.
The CFLPA bargaining committee has directed its members in seven (BC, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal) to participate in a work stoppage immediately – effective Sunday, March 15. Members under contract to clubs in Alberta (Calgary and Edmonton) will join the work stoppage as soon as provincial labour laws allow.
In an effort to update its members as soon as possible with clear information, the committee has provided the direction to not report for camps (where provincial labour laws allow) now because there remain too many key items outstanding that must still be negotiated before 12:01 a.m. on Sunday morning. The CFLPA bargaining team has maintained, since early in collective negotiations, that its membership does not wish to attend training camps without a new and fair collective agreement in place before the current agreement expires on May 14
The CFLPA bargaining committee remains prepared to do whatever is necessary and to work as hard as possible to get to a fair, new agreement and get CFLPA members back to work as soon as possible.
The CFLPA bargaining committee worked well ahead, starting in 2021, to prepare to negotiate a fair and timely collective deal on behalf of the membership. As is required under provincial labour laws, the collective bargaining process officially began in February 2022 when the CFLPA provided the CFL written notice to bargain. The CFL agreed to meet with the CFLPA for the first time in late March. The CFLPA bargaining committee has remained diligent in its efforts to advance negotiations in a timely and progressive manner.
About the CFLPA
The Canadian Football League Players’ Association (CFLPA) is the union for professional football players in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Since 1965, the Association has worked to establish fair and reasonable working conditions while protecting the rights of all CFL players. In addition to negotiating and enforcing the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the CFLPA provides a variety of member services, builds corporate and community partnerships and works diligently for the betterment of its membership. Find us online at cflpa.com.
David Tress
May 15, 2022 at 2:15 pm
Public opinion is on the side of the players. The owners should be offering at least a $10,000 minimum salary increase immediately and the salary cap should be scrapped in favor of a balanced budget clause. Teams which can afford to pay more should be allowed to pay more. The salary cap is the biggest obstacle to the success of the CFL.