"The negotiating teams for the NBA and its Players
Association announced Wednesday that they have agreed on a new
labor contract," according to David Moore in this morning's
DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Moore continues, "Meanwhile the legal
maneuvers designed to prevent the quick approval of this
collective bargaining agreement intensified" (DALLAS MORNING
NEWS, 6/22). Hawks President Stan Kasten, a member of the NBA's
Labor Committee: "I understand we're very close. We still have
to meet, discuss and vote" (Ailene Voisin, ATLANTA CONSTITUTION,
6/22). The NBA Board of Governors and the 27 player reps meet
for votes tomorrow, the owners in New York and the players in
Chicago.
DON'T RATIFY, DECERTIFY! The announcement of a deal
came hours after 17 players petitioned the NLRB to legally
decertify the union as their collective bargaining agent
with the NBA. Those players now need to provide the NLRB
with signatures of 30% of the union's 324 members before the
NBPA ratifies the new agreement. If those signatures are
filed by Friday -- and, according to Mark Asher of the
WASHINGTON POST, "the attorney representing the unhappy
players said they will be" -- the NLRB will hold a hearing
on whether a vote should be held of the entire union
membership. If a vote is held, a majority would be
necessary to decertify the union. Decertification would
kill the present agreement and end the league's labor
exemption from antitrust laws (WASHINGTON POST, 6/22). A
decertification vote would be held 30-45 days after the NLRB
hearing (Ronald Blum, AP/MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 6/22).
LET THE SELLING BEGIN: In L.A., Mark Heisler described
the NBPA as "under an eleventh-hour siege," but reports that
in conference calls among 20 of the 27 player reps,
"sentiment reportedly was running in favor of ratification"
(L.A. TIMES, 6/22). CNN's Fred Hickman reported, after
talking with NBPA Exec Dir Simon Gourdine, President Buck
Williams and VP Charles Smith, that "they feel as though
they can sell this agreement to the players. That once they
see it they're going to see it's a good deal and there's
going to be no problem ("Sports Tonight," CNN, 6/21). In
Boston, Jackie MacMullan also notes an "informal poll" of
player reps indicated the deal would pass. Also, Bucks
Player Rep Ed Pinckney, who had signed a decertification
notice, "has changed his position" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/22).
