Thread: CBA Voting articles

Well the owners have done their part and as I write this at 6:30 MDT the players reps have already begun their conference call to discuss this offer to settle on the part of the owners and how to recertify the NFLPA as a union. The vote was unanimous at 31-0 with who else but Al Davis abstaining.

Although time constraints have forced the cancellation of the HOF Game it appears that if all goes well teams will begin to open their facilties to their players on Saturday. Then on Wednesday next the league will officially open for business. Teams will then have a three day window in which to sign there own UFA's before the beginning of the FA period which will commence on Saturday next if I'm correct.

If there's anything more to report this evening I'll attach it to this thread and suggest to all of you that you do the same so that we have one place to go to for current info. If the staff will be so kind, please leave this in this forum until the CBA Agreement has been made official and we know that it's all a go.

Whoopeeeee!!!! Football at last.

Originally Posted by The Benjamin

sounds like the players are rejecting the deal.

Got anything to post on it Benji?

Here's something on the basics of the agreement the owners approved.





Owners OK new labor agreement; focus now on players' vote

• NFL.com Wire Reports
• Published: July 21, 2011 at 11:28 a.m.
• Updated: July 21, 2011 at 08:39 p.m.
• Liked: 311 | Comments: 844

• By NFL.com Wire Reports

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NFL owners voted overwhelmingly in favor of a tentative 10-year agreement to end the four-month-old lockout Thursday, pending player approval. The vote was 31-0 with the Oakland Raiders abstaining from the ratification, which came after a full day of meetings at an Atlanta-area hotel. "We had profound philosophical differences of a football and an economic nature," Raiders CEO Amy Trask told NFL Network reporter Albert Breer. " ... We voted the way we thought was appropriate."

Players still had to sign off on the deal -- and they must re-establish their union, the NFL said. Players didn't vote on a full pact Wednesday because there were issues that hadn't been resolved. They planned to have a conference call later Thursday.

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"Hopefully, we can all work quickly, expeditiously, to get this agreement done," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. "It is time to get back to football. That's what everybody here wants to do."

The lockout is the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987. One casualty was the first game on the preseason schedule -- the Aug. 7 Hall of Fame game between the Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams was canceled Thursday. "The time was just too tight," Goodell said. "Unfortunately, we're not going to be able to play the game this year."

Team facilities will open Saturday, and the new league year will begin Wednesday, Goodell said -- assuming the players approve the agreement, too.

After the owners approved their proposal, NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith sent the following email to the players before their conference call: "As you know the Owners have ratifified their proposal to settle our differences. It is my understanding that they are forwarding it to us. As you may have heard, they apparently approved a supplemental revenue sharing proposal. Obviously, we have not been a part of those discussions. As you know from yesterday, issues that need to be collectively bargained remain open, other issues such as workers compensation, economic issues and end of deal terms remain unresolved. There is no agreement between the NFL and the Players at this time. I look forward to our call tonight.

The owners locked out the players March 12. During that time, teams weren't allowed to communicate with current NFL players; players -- including those drafted in April -- couldn't be signed; and teams didn't pay for players' health insurance.

Key aspects of the proposal include:

» An agreement that covers the 2011 through 2020 seasons, including the 2021 draft.

» Reducing the offseason program by five weeks and reducing organized team activities from 14 to 10; limiting full-contact practices in the preseason and regular season, and increasing number of days off for players.

» Rookie wage scale to include four-year contracts for all drafted players (option for five years on first-rounders), three-year contracts for undrafted free agents, and strong anti-holdout rules.

» Creation of a new fund to redistribute, beginning in 2012, savings from new rookie pay system to current and retired player benefits and a veteran player performance pool.

» Unrestricted free agency for players after four accrued seasons; restricted free agency for players with three accrued seasons.

» Over the next 10 years, additional funding for retiree benefits between $900 million and $1 billion. The largest single amount, $620 million, will be used for a new "Legacy Fund," which will be devoted to increasing pensions for pre-1993 retirees.

» Salary cap plus benefits of $142.4 million per club in 2011 and at least that amount in 2012 and 2013.
NFL.com senior writer Steve Wyche reported that a football operations meeting will start Friday at 8 a.m. ET, according to a league source, to brief teams on the new rules.
Importance of recertification
Now that owners have ratified a proposal to end the lockout, NFL Network legal analyst Gabe Feldman explains the importance of the NFLPA recertifying. More...



Now it's up to the players. Earlier Thursday, Smith said recertification is a serious issue that the players will consider individually. "I certainly remember comments from some of the owners about how we may not even be a real union," Smith said. "Well, guess what? The decision to decertify was important because at the time we were a real union. And the decision for our players, as men, to come back as a union is going to be an equally serious and sober one that they have to make."

One of the things being discussed in terms of a settlement is how and when the NFLPA would recertify as a union. Player sources indicated to NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora that the NFLPA wants to use a system of signed cards and follow certain bylaws in order to recertify.
The issue between the parties is mainly one of time, specifically how long it would take to collect approximately 1,900 signatures. Getting those signatures takes time, and the league obviously is looking to open for business as soon as possible. There is the possibility the National Labor Relations Board could help speed things up, even if the recertification process is done by actual signature.

The parties also could come to a compromise, according to a source, whereby the lockout is lifted before a full global settlement is reached -- which would have to include recertification in order to have a full CBA -- to allow players to report in the interim.
That would make it easier to collect signatures and cards of players currently under contract since they would be centrally located at team facilities. If that takes place, in theory, then the signatures needed could be obtained over weekend and allow the league year to begin next week.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew told NFL Network the conference call likely will be to educate players on the details of the proposed deal.
Lockout coverage on NFL Network
Tune into to NFL Network for complete coverage as owners and players enter the final phase of labor negotiations to end the NFL lockout. Albert Breer, Steve Wyche, Scott Hanson and Jason La Canfora are providing live coverage from Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
"A lot of people have to understand, we're not extending the CBA from prior years or anything like that," Jones-Drew said. "This is 600 pages that we've created (through) negotiations with the owners. So we have to go through a lot of legal documents, a lot of things." Jones-Drew added: "I've always told people on my radio show, the closer we get, the harder it's going to be. I think both sides have moved very far from where we had our sticking points. Things should be happening here pretty closely, but you can't rush anything like this because it's going to affect the game for years to come, for a decade hopefully."

The six-year veteran preached patience to those eager to see football activities resume. "We understand fans want to see the game played, and as players, we want to see the game played as well. But we want everything to be correct," Jones-Drew said. "You don't want to rush anything like this, just because of the nature of the business, the money that's involved. A word like 'and,' and a word like 'or' can mean three different things and it could change the whole dynamic of the CBA. So we want to make sure everything is right, and one of the reasons we didn't vote (Wednesday) is because we had some issue that needed to be solved."

Actually, the player reps did vote Wednesday at NFLPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., but it wasn't the type of vote that was expected. Instead of simply approving the draft that lawyers and staff had been working on for the last month, the reps conditionally passed it to the Brady plaintiffs, sources told NFL Network reporter Albert Breer. In other words, the proposal will go to the 10 plaintiffs involved in the Brady antitrust case only if the league meets certain conditions in settling that piece of litigation, and also the TV rights fees case, in which players accused owners of setting up a $4 billion lockout-insurance fund.

The players also empowered Smith, their legal counsel and the 13-man executive committee to work out the remaining issues, according to sources. One is the players' pursuit of $320 million in benefits lost as part of the 2010 uncapped-year rules, which were negotiated in the 2006 labor deal.

Smith and Goodell have stayed in close, regular contact throughout negotiations, even at times when the parties weren't meeting. Throughout this week, for instance, Smith and Goodell have held after-hours discussions about the remaining issues, trying to bridge the remaining gaps and forge a global settlement, numerous sources told La Canfora.

The good news is that, outside of a few minor issues, the players are amenable to terms that would serve as a new labor deal, should the NFLPA re-certify as a union. The Brady plantiffs -- which include quarterbacks Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees -- also would have to sign off for any settlement to be reached.

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New England Patriots guard Logan Mankins and San Diego Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson, two of the 10 plaintiffs, are holding strong to their request for $10 million as part of the antitrust settlement, sources told Breer on Thursday. That's one of a number of issues that relate to the plaintiffs in that case.

The NFLPA executive committee will not recommend that player reps vote on any deal until both lawsuits are resolved, multiple sources told La Canfora, and it's unknown when that will be. Before Wednesday's meeting in Washington, NFLPA president Kevin Mawae cautioned not to assume the lockout will be over by the weekend, saying his group was "not tied" to a deadline for having a deal done by Thursday.

"We want to go back to work, but we will not agree to a deal unless it's the best deal for the players," Mawae said. "The players are not tied to a July 21 timeline," he added. "Our timeline is that which gives us the best deal for the players -- today, tomorrow or whatever it might be."

NFL Network reporter Albert Breer, NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora, NFL Network insider Michael Lombardi, NFL.com senior writer Steve Wyche and The Associated Press contributed to this report