The CFL Players' Association said that the league has "unilaterally decided to delay" CBA negotiations, according to Lori Ewing of the CP. After two days of talks between the league and union in Vancouver, CFLPA Exec Dir Brian Ramsay said that the CFL has "set a date of April 29 as the earliest it can resume talks." He added that the CFLPA was "told by the league that it has 'other priorities' to take care of in the next two weeks." Ramsay: "This decision is disappointing and makes tangible progress difficult." The current CBA expires May 18, the day training camps are scheduled to open. Talks began March 11-12 with "non-monetary issues having consumed the majority of negotiation sessions." A "big bone of contention for CFL players is the league instructing teams to not pay them off-season bonuses until after a new agreement is ratified." The CFLPA believes the CFL's stance is a "move to force players into quickly adopting a new agreement." So far, it has "only served to anger players." BC Lions LB Solomon Elimimian said, "I don't see it as a positive strategy on their part. ... (We) keep looking at them in distrust" (CP, 4/10).
