CFL players blink first in labour dispute
Somewhere, wherever he has disappeared to since being dislodged as president of the Canadian Football League Players’ Association, we can only imagine Mike Morreale’s sitting back, relaxing, and having a chuckle at the expense of Scott Flory.
Just as Flory, eventually, will be laughing at the guy who replaces him.
The league and its players’
The league and its players’ association reached a tentative deal on a new fiveyear collective bargaining agreement late Saturday night, through the help of a mediator.
Both sides must still ratify the agreement, which appears likely to occur, although there has been repeated complaining by players since the news broke.
For all the rhetoric the last few weeks over how united the players supposedly were, many now have turned on Flory and his executive members — some anonymously — making one wonder whether Flory has regrets over his decision to run for the job and subsequently retire as a player.
We don’t know, since Flory wasn’t talking on Sunday. Nor, for that matter, was CFL commissioner Mark Cohon or anyone else associated with this exercise.
On the surface, it certainly appears the union acquiesced, the only side that made concessions, repeatedly. For all the threats about a strike, for all the talk about what might happen, it was the owners who scored the victory.
And the players realized they were losing with each passing day.
Calgary defensive-back Jeff Hecht was more damning Saturday night through his Twitter account.
“You have a bunch of clowns, you’re probably going to get a circus,” he said.
The union was seeking a salary cap starting at $6.24 million and wanted a share of revenue through a revenue protection clause — a figure of the league’s gross revenue that would trigger renegotiation of the CBA. That figure, excluding Grey Cup revenue, would be $12 million after two years. Cohon scoffed. The players came down to $5.8 million with their cap, reducing that by a further $600,000 early last week. They were willing to raise the revenue protection clause to $18 million. The union originally proposed a ratification bonus of $15,000 for veterans, and then was willing to settle for $8,500.
The league scoffed, Cohon repeating the CFL had made its best and final offer.
The line was drawn in the sand — and the union blinked first, as expected. These players haven’t been paid since last November, and they need the money; that’s the bottom line.
Had the players gone on strike, they no longer would have been insured or received other benefits. U.S.-born players seeking to return home during a labour stoppage would have been responsible for their transportation costs. And they would have had to pay their way back when everything was settled.
The players saw the new five-year, $210-million television deal and were enticed by visions of dollar signs. But that additional money, perhaps $1.9 or $2 million per club on top of the $900,000 under the old deal, already has been spent by teams, allocated for the increase in the cap.
Among myriad issues the union wanted resolved, why was it so quick to settle on minimum salary, which now will increase from $45,000 to $50,000, with annual raises of $1,000?
The salary cap will increase from $4.4 to $5 million, just as the CFL proposed. The revenue protection clause will kick in at $27 million after three years, just as the CFL proposed. The independent neurologist the union wanted on the sideline during games — that’s not going to happen.
The players’ average salary will be $96,000. They’ll get tiered ratification bonuses, anywhere from $12,000 to $6,000. Even the rookies get $1,500. And the optionyear clause on non-rookie contracts means players can become free agents after one season. Or keep signing oneyear deals, improve their production and maximize their earning potential.