ThereB次元官网网址檚 labour peace in the CFL.
The league and CFL PlayersB次元官网网址� Association have come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement.
The tentative deal replaces a five-year contract that was set to expire Saturday.
Details of the agreement werenB次元官网网址檛 immediately available, but a CFL official said itB次元官网网址檚 a multi-year deal.
The contact is pending ratification by the players and approval from the leagueB次元官网网址檚 board of governors. The CFL could give its approval as early as Wednesday at a previously scheduled meeting of its board.
Getting it ratified by the players will take longer. ThatB次元官网网址檚 because the union must first present the deal to team reps, which will happen Wednesday. Then, it will be forwarded to the players.
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The tentative agreement comes with CFL training camps slated to open Sunday. The deal was reached following two straight days of marathon bargaining.
The two sides met into the night Monday, got a head start on talks early Tuesday morning and continued talking until early Wednesday morning. The latest round of bargaining began Sunday night and TuesdayB次元官网网址檚 session was the final scheduled face-to-face session prior to the end of the current deal.
The situation didnB次元官网网址檛 look good last week when union executive director Brian Ramsay emerged from three days of talks saying the two sides werenB次元官网网址檛 B次元官网网址漬ecessarily where we need to be right now,B次元官网网址� in order to reach a settlement.
The league and players were negotiating monetary items, which is always a potentially contentious discussion. Last week, there was persistent talk they remained far apart on many financial fronts.
That presented a rather bleak scenario of a partial playersB次元官网网址� strike at the start of training camp if a new deal couldnB次元官网网址檛 be reached by Saturday. Ramsay said last week players with the B.C. Lions, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Montreal Alouettes wouldnB次元官网网址檛 report to the start of their respective camps without a deal
ThatB次元官网网址檚 because theyB次元官网网址檇 be in a legal strike position and had been instructed by the union not to show up.
BREAKING: and reach tentative agreement on new CBA.
B次元官网网址� CFL (@CFL)
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Players on CFL teams in Alberta (Edmonton and Calgary) and Ontario (Ottawa, Toronto and Hamilton) had been told to report to camp because Ramsay said they wonB次元官网网址檛 be in a legal strike position until May 23. ThatB次元官网网址檚 when the union wouldB次元官网网址檝e been in a position to orchestrate a full work stoppage.
However, Ramsay continually stated the unionB次元官网网址檚 top priority was securing a fair and equitable deal with the CFL. B次元官网网址 of the agreement brought mixed reaction on social media.
B次元官网网址淣ice! Now letB次元官网网址檚 play some Football!!!,B次元官网网址� tweeted TSNB次元官网网址檚 Matt Dunigan, a former CFL quarterback and head coach.
B次元官网网址淢y sentiment exactly!B次元官网网址�,B次元官网网址� responded Montreal offensive lineman Tony Washington.
But Hamilton receiver Shamawd Chambers tweeted, B次元官网网址淟ol ??????? canB次元官网网址檛 wait to hear this.B次元官网网址�
Washington responded, B次元官网网址淟mao you got that feeling to huh?B次元官网网址�
That solicited a response from John Bowman, the veteran Montreal Alouettes defensive lineman who participated on the CFLPAB次元官网网址檚 bargaining committed.
B次元官网网址淪o yB次元官网网址檃ll donB次元官网网址檛 think we did the best we could? YB次元官网网址檃ll think we just laid down?,B次元官网网址� he tweeted.
Washington countered by saying heB次元官网网址檇 direct message Bowman.
Later, Bowman tweeted: B次元官网网址淏次元官网网址� like you I was skeptical. But I can tell you being in that room this yr we had to fight for everything. And no matter what you never get everything you want and ppl are never satisfied lol thatB次元官网网址檚 life.B次元官网网址�
Contract talks in 2014 between the CFL and CFLPA were testy. Negotiations broke down several times and there was even a threat of a strike before players ultimately reported to camp and both sides hammered out a five-year agreement.
CFL players have gone on strike once, in 1974, but the situation was settled prior to the start of the regular season.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
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