CFL, players’ union at odds regarding payment of off-season bonuses

TORONTO The CFL has drawn the ire of the CFL Players’ Association by directing its teams to stop paying players off-season bonuses until a new collective bargaining agreement is reached next year, a tactic the union says has driven a wedge between the two sides before contract talks have even begun.

Many CFL players now receive upfront money, in the form of either a signing or roster bonus, as part of their contracts. But the league has directed clubs to refrain from doing so this offseason until after a new agreement is ratified.

The current deal expires May 15, 2019. Players can sign contracts this offseason but won’t receive any signing bonuses until after a new CBA is reached.

“I think everyone agrees we’re looking for a fair agreement at the next bargaining session for everybody but this widens that gap prior to even sitting down,” said Brian Ramsay, executive director of the CFLPA . “If the thought process is it’s meant to speed up or assist bargaining, we vehemently disagree with that.”

Former commissioner Jeffrey Orridge issued the directive in early 2017 and it’s since been supported his successor Randy Ambrosie. A former CFL player and CFLPA secretary, Ambrosie has worked closely with the union since his appointment last summer and in September the two sides agreed to eliminate in-season full contact padded practices and move to a longer, 21-week schedule to enhance player safety.