MLS Players Union Says No Strike. For the Moment

By: Laurie | February 25th, 2010

empty stadium 2 The MLS Players Union offered up a big announcement today, and that announcement is:

Nothing is going to happen.

Yet.

This is actually good news for MLS fans, most whom were anticipating a strike. Collective bargaining negotiations have reached an stalemate, with neither side willing to budge on key issues like free agency and guaranteed contracts. The last CBA expired on January 31, but players and management have extended the deadline twice in an attempt to reach agreement. The second extension expired today, and the two sides aren’t even close.

This leaves all of MLS in limbo. The teams are in the middle of preseason, with the first match of 2010 scheduled for March 25. It may or may not happen.

So what’s holding up the progress?

In a nutshell, the players want the conditions enjoyed by players elsewhere in the world — conditions strongly recommended by FIFA — including things like free agency (the ability to move freely between teams) and guaranteed contracts, where the league will be on the hook for a player’s salary for the season even if he’s cut.

MLS, on the other hand, is terrified of losing their legal status as a single entity. With pro soccer in the US still in the toddler stage, they’re understandably afraid of going bankrupt like the previous top US league, the NASL, and they see lots of problems occurring if the courts decide they’re not single entity. MLS is afraid that allowing things like free agency — where the teams can compete separately for players — will allow the courts to strip away their single entity status, which they believe could create NASL redux. They’re also afraid that the costs of things like guaranteed contracts will create financial havoc, especially given that the majority of the teams currently are not turning a profit. (Or so fans have been told. The secrecy surrounding MLS finances makes nuclear weapons codes look transparent.)

Currently neither side seems willing to give much ground, so we’re at an impasse. But no strike yet.

Today’s statement from the Bob Foose of the MLS Players Union:

“Effective at midnight tonight, our collective bargaining agreement with MLS will expire,” said Union Executive Director Bob Foose.

Foose added that, “while we expect that negotiations with MLS will resume at some point, there simply hasn’t been enough progress made in the negotiations to date to warrant an extension of the old agreement. We have advised our players to keep working for the time being, but as of Friday they will be doing so without a CBA. In the meantime, all options are being considered as the process continues. We are completely committed to forging real changes to the way MLS players are treated.”

UPDATE:

Here’s MLS’s response:

NEW YORK (Feb. 25, 2010) – Major League Soccer issued the following statement today:

“During the last year, Major League Soccer has been negotiating with the MLS Players Union on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The current CBA expires today and the Players Union would not agree to a further extension.

“We have told the Players Union that the League does not plan to lock out the players and we are prepared to begin the season under the current CBA while we continue to bargain to reach agreement on a new CBA.

“We have listened to the issues raised by the MLS Players Union and the League has made detailed proposals that have addressed these issues, including in the areas of economics, guaranteed contracts, options and the ability of a player to move to another MLS Club if he is released by his current Club. These proposals, which represent substantial changes from the current CBA, will significantly increase our spending and provide substantially more rights to the players.”

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Category: MLS

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Daryl

I've got massive amounts of sympathy for the players, but I'm also terrified that any radical alterations could put the long term future of MLS at risk.

Obviously we've no idea exactly what's happened in negotiations, but surely there has to be a middle ground where the players get at least some of what they want, and the league maintains a structure that defends it from a potential NASL style collapse.

The only thing for sure is that a strike would be bad news for all involved.