NFL Players Association Tells Players to Prepare for 2011 Lockout

Filed under: Sports Business and Media, NFL Labor Negotiations

The NFL Players Association is warning its members to start preparing for a long, cold winter.

The union has sent a letter to all NFL players warning them to save the final three game checks of the 2010 season just in case there is no 2011 season. The same letter said the union's internal deadline for working out a new collective bargaining agreement with the owners has already passed.

The owners are trying to use the letter as a sign that the union has already given up on working out a deal.

"We hope this does not mean the union has abandoned negotiating in favor of decertifying and litigating," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "We are ready to meet and negotiate anytime and anywhere. But it takes sustained effort and shared commitment to reach an agreement. One side can't do it alone."

The owners are the ones who have created the potential impasse by opting out of the current collective bargaining agreement early. The owners want the players to collect a smaller percentage of the NFL's revenues than they have under the current CBA. The current CBA will end on March 3. At that point, the owners could execute a lockout, but the players could eliminate the threat of a lockout by decertifying as a union and going to court. The union has collected approval from the players during this season to be ready with the threat of decertification.

Source: http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/12/04/nfl-players-association-tells-players-to-prepare-for-2011-lockou/

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