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Talks between CFL players and the league; strike appears imminent

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Labour unrest seems to be the go-to storyline right now and it’s not just because of BC teachers; it looks like you may not see your BC Lions this summer.

After talks broke down yesterday and the collective bargaining agreement expired last night, the CFL Players’ Association says it is fully prepared to walk off the field next week. But that doesn’t mean players will just be hanging around this weekend.

“The veterans report to training camp on Sunday,” explains Rick Dhaliwal in the News1130 Sports Centre.

“The players will be there and they will hit the field on Monday. But the strike vote is taking place in Alberta, so we can probably expect the players… to go on strike and to leave training camp if it isn’t solved by then.”

Negotiations are supposed to resume next week.

“They can’t agree on the salary cap number and until they can do that, everything is up in the air and the two sides are far apart,” adds Dhaliwal.

The league’s latest offer calls for a $5-million salary cap (up from $4.8 million). It also called for ratification bonuses of $5,000 for veterans and $1,500 for rookies.

The players’ offer calls for a $5.8-million cap, with a minimum of $4.8 million. That’s down from the original demand of $6.24 million.

“It will be the union’s decision to strike. We hope they don’t. We’ve put our best offer forward; we hope they can vote on that best offer,” explains CFLPA President Scott Flory.

The regular season is set to begin June 26th.

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