NFLPA sends labor proposal to members for vote
The NFL Players Association sent ballots to members Thursday for voting on the proposed collective bargaining agreement, giving the union a week to either ensure another 11 years of labor peace or send the matter back to the drawing board.
The NFLPA announced that votes would be accepted through March 12 at one minute before midnight. The more than 2,000 members will have a window of about 71⁄2 days to examine the 439-page document and cast a yes or no vote. Ratification requires a simple majority. So if only 1,000 ballots were returned, the union would need 501 yes votes to approve.
Every player who was a dues-paying member during the 2019 season received a ballot, the NFLPA said. Votes will be confidential and received by an independent auditor.
“We encourage every NFL player to review the the full collective bargaining agreement and exercise their democratic right to vote,” the union said in a statement.
The distribution took place two weeks after league owners voted their approval of the agreement that’s a product of 10 months of talks between both sides. The NFLPA’s 11-member executive committee initially voted 6-5 against the proposed terms, but last week in Indianapolis during the NFL scouting combine the 32 team representatives voted 17-14 in favor – with one abstention – of sending the CBA to the full membership for approval. The new rules, if accepted, would be in effect through the 2030 league year.
With the owners unwavering in their favor of a 17-game regular season, which would begin as soon as 2021 and no later than 2023, players focused more on safeguards for the additional wear and tear and an increased share of the revenue that would grow with the extra game.
Plenty of high-profile players have adamantly spoken out against the proposal, including Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, Houston defensive end J.J. Watt, Pittsburgh center Maurkice Pouncey and Minnesota wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
Their primary contention with the terms is that they don’t go far enough to reward and protect the players for the extra game.
There’s no telling how the full vote will turn out, though, with lesserknown and fringe players outnumbering stars. This CBA would give a bigger boost to the rank-and-file players than usual, with a roughly 20% hike to the minimum salary right away, to $610,000. That figure would top $1 million by 2029.
NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said last week he believed the proposal would pass.
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