But today, news from our neighbors to the north shows that the threat of work stoppages isn't an American specialty.
According to The Montreal Gazette, the Canadian Football League's players' union is advising players to prepare for the possibility of a work stoppage in June. The league, ominously enough, begins in July.
The league's CBA expires June 5 -- one day before the start of training camp -- and according to the players' union president, "It continues to be the opinion of the executive committee that a CFL management lockout of the players is a very real possibility."
Like we saw with MLS early in its own process, talks between players and management thus far have been relatively icy. The CFL Players' Association (CFLPA) and the Players Relations Committee (PRC) haven't sat down at the negotiating table since late last October.
As far as labor issues go, the list of unresolved matters is about as eclectic as you'll find: using replacement players, teams' operations even during a strike, minimum roster limits for natural-born Canadians. Not exactly the standard fare you'd expect to see percolating during an NBA strike.
On the surface, this potential lockout seems equally about individual salaries as it is about general profit sharing. The CFLPA wants the minimum salary bumped up $1,000 annually, as well as improved bonuses for participants in the Grey Cup, the league's Super Bowl. It also wants to maintain at least a 56 percent share of the league's revenue. If that means a higher salary cap, the CFLPA seems ready to handle that.
According to Gazette colmunist Rob Vanstone, the league's owners and management would be unwise to paint themselves as the victims of a money-hungry cadre of athletic stars:
And under my watchful eye!As it stands, the CFL’s cap number is dwarfed by the wages of dozens of NHL players — many of whom are marginal. The Edmonton Oilers, for example, are paying 12-goal scorer Shawn Horcoff an absurd $5.5 million per annum.
Edmonton Eskimos quarterback Ricky Ray does not make even one-10th of Horcoff’s salary. The CFL’s peak wages are reserved for quarterbacks such as Ray, Anthony Calvillo (Montreal Alouettes) and Henry Burris (Calgary Stampeders), all of whom receive in excess of $400,000 per year. As marquee players who attract fans and TSN viewers, they deserve every cent.
The salary of commissioner Mark Cohon is also well into six figures — with the difference being that nobody pays to see him work. If Cohon allows a lockout to occur under his watch, it will be to his discredit.
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