“Despite the inaccurate characterizations of [Wednesday’s] meeting, out of respect to the collective bargaining process and our negotiating partner, we are going to continue to conduct negotiations with the union in private,’’ league spokesman Greg Aiello told the Associated Press via e-mail, “and not engage in a point-counterpoint on the specifics of either side’s proposals or the meeting process. Instead, we will work as hard as possible to reach a fair agreement by March 4. We are fully focused on that goal.’’
The collapse of the talks came as a surprise. The two sides got together Wednesday in Washington for the second time in five days, the previous negotiations taking place in Dallas on Saturday before the Super Bowl. Neither Atallah nor NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith would comment on why yesterday’s session was called off.
The union sent a memo yesterday to player agents updating the status of discussions on a rookie wage scale. A union proposal to decrease the maximum length of rookie contracts to four years for players selected in the first three rounds, and three years for players chosen after that, also included a limit on financial incentives and salary escalators that could be included in rookie deals.
Those limits would, the NFLPA claims, provide the cost certainty the league is seeking for its rookie salary pool.
According to the memo, the NFL’s response was a five-year wage scale with base salary escalators. That would virtually eliminate individual negotiation of rookie contracts.
Owners opted out of the current CBA in 2008 and are seeking a bigger cut of the league’s revenues, which are roughly $9 billion, as well as the rookie wage scale. They also want to increase the regular season by two games to 18, while dropping two exhibition games.
The players are happy with the status quo.
The NFL has had labor peace since a 1987 players’ strike that led to three games with replacement players, but some sort of labor stoppage appears a genuine possibility this year because of the slow pace of negotiations. The talks at the Super Bowl were the first formal discussions since November.
