League, union reach tentative labour deal

A tentative agreement has been reached in the CFL labour dispute, averting a possible players’ strike.

According to a source, the league and its players reached an agreement in principle Saturday on a new contract after two days of bargaining with the help of a mediator.

The union’s executive committee presented the deal to team reps during a four-plus hour conference call Saturday night, the source said. There was no immediate word on when there would be a ratification vote for either the league or CFLPA.

The source said the agreement calls for a $5-million salary cap. Although the exact term of the deal wasn’t immediately known, the source said earlier Saturday the two sides had discussed a four-year contract that called for cap increases of $50,000 annually.

The CFL Players’ Association had initially wanted a $6.24-million cap before amending its demand to $5.2 million. Last year, the CFL salary cap was $4.4 million.

Players will also reportedly receive signing bonuses of $7,500 for veterans and $1,500 for rookies. The CFL minimum salary also increases $5,000 to $50,000, something the two sides had agreed to earlier.

The league did get a major concession from the union on the gross revenue formula that would trigger the renegotiation of the cap or entire collective agreement.

The players, who initially wanted the CBA to include revenue sharing, had called for the cap or entire agreement to be renegotiated if league revenues increased by more than $18 million — excluding the Grey Cup — in the third year of the deal. The CFL wanted that figure to be $27 million and the union ultimately agreed.

The source added the agreement also calls for the elimination of the option year on CFL contracts.