In the latest twist to the ongoing NFL labor battle, sources said the sides are now in dispute over how long it would take to reform the union. The issue could be potentially thorny because the league would not want to sign off on a CBA deal without a union, otherwise the NFL could be exposed to more antitrust cases until there is a union. The NFL believes the union should reform instantly, while the sources said weeks is the response from the players. National Labor Relations Board Dir of Public Affairs Nancy Cleeland said, "There aren’t any kind of artificial deadlines or waiting periods. It is really between the parties.” Cleeland said in an earlier e-mail, “The players would need to show support for the union in some way. That could be through an NLRB supervised election or, more likely in this case, by the employer group agreeing to recognize the union without an NLRB election based on some showing of support, such as cards signed by the majority of players. It likely would be part of any agreement they sign.” The owners are meeting in Atlanta today where the owners are expected this afternoon to vote, though the form of what they vote on is still unclear. The owners want an umbrella settlement of the labor pact, and all litigation. Meanwhile, sources said two of the plaintiffs in the antitrust case, Patriots G Logan Mankins and Chargers WR Vincent Jackson, are still holding out for payments as part of settling the case. A source close to the talks said, “They are stalling after two years of effort. I was told by a union official they could do it by phone last week. Stalling to get the $20 million for Jackson and Mankins.” The NFLPA, which disbanded as a union March 11 so players could sue the league, could not immediately be reached for comment (Daniel Kaplan, SportsBusiness Journal).
COMMUNICATION ISSUES: ESPN's John Clayton reports, “There are a lot of communication problems. There are some of the plaintiffs that say they have not even heard anything from counsel as far as any settlements and, of course, they have to settle to get this deal done. Certainly, money would soothe it but right now, nothing’s getting done” ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 7/21).
