(Toronto) Brian Ramsay and Solomon Elimimian, two leading members of the Canadian Football League Players’ Association (CFLAA), insisted Friday that the players will not report to training camps next week without that a fair and equitable negotiated agreement is in place.
Posted at 8:53 p.m.
Ramsay and Elimimian, executive director and chairman of the AJLCF respectively, spoke with reporters on Friday, the day after talks with the league broke down.
The two clans are not due to meet again until Wednesday, which will give them three days before the current agreement expires.
The opening of training camps is scheduled for Sunday, and the first preseason game is scheduled for May 23, between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“We have made it clear that we will not be showing up to training camp without a new, fair collective agreement in place before the current agreement expires,” Elimimian said. “We are ready to get a fair deal […] at this time, we are unconvinced that the CFL will help us get a fair deal. »
Added Ramsay: “Our goal is to try to find an agreement, but we have also been very clear from the start: we are not going to start training camp without this fair agreement. We have advised our members to speak to their clubs, to push these flights back as long as possible in the hope of reaching an agreement in time. »
Ramsay also mentioned that the CFL has informed the union that players arriving at training camp before a strike would be responsible for covering their return travel costs should a work stoppage occur.
Negotiations between the Canadian Football League and the Players’ Association broke down on Thursday after the union refused a proposal for a 10-year collective agreement that would require a salary cap freeze as well as the abolition of the ratio of Canadian players.
In a notice sent to its members, the AJLCF specified that although the two parties “have been able to come together on a certain number of subjects”, several key problems remain.
The CFL released two statements via social media on Friday, and the second dealt with the player partnership issue.
“We are deeply committed to a long-term, mutually beneficial partnership with our players,” the league said.
“It was true when this bargaining process started and it will be true when we reach a collective agreement and beyond. »
A few hours earlier, the CFL issued the following statement on Twitter: “Canadian players are the lifeblood of the CFL game, just like the American veterans who make their careers here. This will not change. »