Labour dispute sidelines Rock
The Toronto Rock’s first two games of the National Lacrosse League season have been cancelled in the wake of a contract dispute between the league and its players’ association.
Toronto games at Buffalo, Dec. 1, and Vancouver, Dec. 8, have been scratched, the league said in a statement Thursday.
According to the statement, the NLL and the player’s association (PLPA) have reached a stalemate in bargaining for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) resulting in the cancellation of the first two weekends of the NLL season, including the Rock’s road games.
The two sides agreed to an extension past Wednesday’s deadline, but the league said it could not accept the latest proposal from the player’s association.
“A guaranteed 400 per cent increase in expenses, without a corresponding, guaranteed revenue increase, is not something … we can respectfully agree to,” the league’s statement said.
The two sides have been in negotiations all year. Talks began in January when the players exercised their opt-out clause in the CBA.
The players and the league agreed to and signed a seven year CBA in 2013, which included a player opt-out clause after five years.
The players offered a proposal Nov. 7, which would allow the season to open on Dec. 1 as scheduled — with a no strike clause — and keep the two sides at the bargaining table to hash out a long term deal. That proposal said the NLL would proceed for the current season, with 10 dates earmarked for negotiations.
The two sides appear to be stalling on how much revenue is shared with the players, who are seeking an increased share, based on league growth, which includes current expansion (Halifax granted a franchise in September), and the expected addition of franchises in the near future.
“We have put a very good and fair offer on the table, which includes 25 per cent increase in salary and benefits for the players,” the league said. The players, in agreement with their union, have withheld their attendance at training camps, and participation in physicals.