Lions among seven teams to nix practice as CFL players strike
The B.C. Lions and six other CFL teams cancelled practices on Sunday as the players association went on strike.
It was supposed to be the first day of training camps across the Canadian Football League, but only two teams were in action: the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Elks. That's because labour laws differ in Alberta and the teams have a three-day window before having to honour picket lines.
The Lions announced on Twitter that both practice and a media availability were cancelled on Sunday. The team had opened rookie camp on Wednesday at Hillside Stadium in Kamloops.
The dispute between the Canadian Football League Players' Association and the league is the first work stoppage since 1974, though that strike didn't affect any regular-season games.
It's not like there's been labour peace in recent years, however.
In 2019, the players voted 97 per cent in favour of a strike before agreeing on a deal.
Four years before that, threats of lockouts and player strikes were exchanged before an accord was reached.
At the start of the month, CFL players voted 95 per cent in favour of a strike. The league offered a 10-year deal with no salary cap increases and the players association in turn directed veteran quarterbacks to not attend voluntary workouts. TSN said the two sides met for 16 hours on Friday but failed to reach a deal.
The CFLPA issued this statement late Saturday: “In an effort to update its members as soon as possible with clear information, the committee has provided the direction to not report for camps (where provincial labour laws allow) now because there remain too many key items outstanding that must still be negotiated before 12:01 a.m. EST on Sunday morning.
“The CFLPA bargaining team has maintained, since early in collective negotiations, that its membership does not wish to attend training camps without a new and fair collective agreement in place before the current agreement expires on May 14.
“The CFLPA bargaining committee remains prepared to do whatever is necessary and to work as hard as possible to get to a fair, new agreement and get CFLPA members back to work as soon as possible.”
Commissioner Randy Ambrosie posted a letter addressing both players and fans on the league website Saturday that outlined the CFL's latest offer.
He said the seven-year proposal increases player compensation by more than $24 million and offers players a share in any revenue increases above an agreed upon threshold beginning in 2023.
It adds $18.9 million to the leaguewide salary cap and would boost the minimum salary from $65,000 this year to $70,000 in 2023 and $75,000 in 2027.