CFL, CFL Players Association reach tentative agreement

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The Canadian Football League player strike is over before it even began in Alberta.

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Bargaining teams representing the league and the CFL Players Association on Wednesday night approved a memorandum of agreement that will result in a seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement to run into 2028.

The tentative agreement ends a days-old work stoppage for seven teams in B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario, and means the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Elks will continue to go about their business as they had since training camps opened on Sunday. Due to the vagaries of labour laws, the Alberta teams were finally due to move into a legal strike position on Thursday afternoon.

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There is not yet word on whether the end of the strike will mean the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders will play their first pre-season game as scheduled on Sunday. However, teams will indeed get back to practice shortly and the 2022 season will move ahead as scheduled, in contrast to the 14-game COVID-shortened season of 2021 and the COVID-related cancellation of the 2020 campaign.

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“The agreement is subject to membership ratification over the next few days where we will conduct meetings with each team to explain the bargaining package and answer questions,” the CFLPA bargaining committee said in an email sent to the membership Wednesday night.

“We will inform the league that we have approved a memorandum of agreement and that we have ended our strike. We believe the clubs will want to start training camp soon and players should expect to hear from them.”

The league and players reached an impasse last weekend and the CFL went public with its proposal. The players said they took issue with four major points: the league’s demand for a return to padded practices without consideration for a beefed up health and safety package; the term and timing of the deal’s expiration; the fact that they league’s revenue-sharing plan did not include an independent audit; and the roster ratio question.

[email protected]

Twitter.com/sportsdanbarnes

Article content

The Canadian Football League player strike is over before it even began in Alberta.

Article content

Bargaining teams representing the league and the CFL Players Association on Wednesday night approved a memorandum of agreement that will result in a seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement to run into 2028.

The tentative agreement ends a days-old work stoppage for seven teams in B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and Ontario, and means the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Elks will continue to go about their business as they had since training camps opened on Sunday. Due to the vagaries of labour laws, the Alberta teams were finally due to move into a legal strike position on Thursday afternoon.

Article content

There is not yet word on whether the end of the strike will mean the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders will play their first pre-season game as scheduled on Sunday. However, teams will indeed get back to practice shortly and the 2022 season will move ahead as scheduled, in contrast to the 14-game COVID-shortened season of 2021 and the COVID-related cancellation of the 2020 campaign.

Article content

“The agreement is subject to membership ratification over the next few days where we will conduct meetings with each team to explain the bargaining package and answer questions,” the CFLPA bargaining committee said in an email sent to the membership Wednesday night.

“We will inform the league that we have approved a memorandum of agreement and that we have ended our strike. We believe the clubs will want to start training camp soon and players should expect to hear from them.”

The league and players reached an impasse last weekend and the CFL went public with its proposal. The players said they took issue with four major points: the league’s demand for a return to padded practices without consideration for a beefed up health and safety package; the term and timing of the deal’s expiration; the fact that they league’s revenue-sharing plan did not include an independent audit; and the roster ratio question.

[email protected]

Twitter.com/sportsdanbarnes