The NFL Referees Association is finally fighting back.
With the NFL dominating the P.R. battle tied to the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations, the NFLRA had not responded in kind. On Wednesday, the union did.
The NFLRA issued a statement following the collapse of a planned two-day bargaining session on Wednesday morning.
“Today the NFLRA negotiating team showed up to what was supposed to be the start of a two-day session with the league to make progress towards a new Collective Bargaining Agreement,” the NFLRA said in a statement. “Unfortunately, it was soon clear that the NFL did not arrive with the same level of commitment.
“We offered a counter to the most recent proposal, which was rejected. We asked that they respond to our offer with the goal of making forward progress. We then learned that no one in their delegation was authorized to negotiate beyond their original proposal, and at that time they chose to leave, after less than half a day of talks.
“We have come to learn that this is a common negotiation tactic used by the league to seek unreasonable concessions, which we quickly communicated to our members. Though frustrating, it will not disrupt our union’s united position of achieving a fair deal.
“The NFLRA will continue to bring its dealmakers to the table to secure a CBA that is fair, recognizes the key role that NFL Officials play in the League’s success, and provides both sides with the long-term certainty that management, officials, coaches, players and fans deserve.”
It’s definitely not uncommon for a party to a negotiation to send an empty suit to the talks. And, yes, it makes it very difficult to make progress if the person doesn’t have the authority to make concessions as to the existing proposal.
We’ll ask the league for comment on this. And there’s a chance the two sides will agree to disagree. Still, something from the NFLRA is better than nothing, because if the NFLRA is going to say nothing, the NFL will be the one saying everything that the media and fans see.
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