Soccer By Ives: MLS labor talks stall as work stoppage looms

[nolando]

Includes an update on Serioux's situation and not-the-least-bit promising quotes by Onstad.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2010/02/mls-labor-talks-stall-as-work-stoppage-looms.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SoccerByIves+%28Soccer+By+Ives%29

[Cheeta]

Yikes. Doesn't read very positive. Especially from a usually in-tune source like Ives.

Hard to read this one, but really what do the players have to lose? Some wages? The current CBA is total crap so it's not as though labour action will get them into any worse a fix. And they'll never be in a better bargaining position.

Labour stoppage would be a disaster though. MLS has a hard enough time keeping players never mind attracting new ones, at lease anyone worth a damn. A labour stoppage with or without a successful conclusion (as far as the union is concerned) would seriously poison the leagues image at home and abroad. And it's not as though MLS' image has a lot of room to be taking any sort of punishment.

Huge PR hit to MLS. Hard not to be painted as a ridicules villain if the dispute goes nuclear under these lines.

[ag futbol]

I like it, based on what we've seen reported so far the players are justified in walking away. They gave up a lot when the league was struggling and the owners are offering practically nothing.

We'll see how teflon Don Garber looks when Phily can't open their season and the profitable teams are waiting to play.

[JoeSoccerFan]

Some excellent discussion going on in the comments section on Ives blog. For those who think this is a simple of players wanting more money - it isn't. From what I am seeing, it looks like the salary cap and guaranteed contracts are no longer the primary issues. It all comes down to free agency within MLS now.

MLS is basically trying to protect the single-entity concept by preventing teams from competing with each other to sign existing MLS players. All other leagues allow this to some degree, but MLS does not.

Ultimately, it looks like the only thing that will break the logjam is some type of restricted free agency much like the NHL has. The real question is whether the league has the resolve to avoid this from being introduced in this CBA.

[Bertuzzi44]

I see a bad moon rising...

[Cheeta]

I wonder if this labour issue is having an effect on broadcasters. Outside of the Vs Cup matches being on SportsNet I don't recall seeing anything related to domestic coverage for TFC yet and we're 4 weeks to kick-off.

I'm going to assume GolTV well be in involved to some degree again this year but no coverage announcements (so far) from SportsNet, CBC, or The Score. Not sure if that's out of the ordinary though.

[amacpher]

I like it, based on what we've seen reported so far the players are justified in walking away.

Agreed! MLS needs to join the rest of us in the real world.

I don't see there being a work-stoppage though. The players bargaining position is too strong so the league will have to cave-in. 25% of the players can just play in Europe or Latin America anytime they want. And those 25% is 100% of MLS' quality. The league might never recover.

[tmcmurph]

http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20100225&content_id=8139578&vkey=pr_mls&fext=.jsp

Gerber says no lockout and willing to play under the current CBA while negotiations continue. Guess we have to see what the player union says.

[BringBackTheBlizzard]

Their bluff is definitely being called. Given the large portion of foreign players who are looking to make as much money as possible in the short term, Generation Adidas players and recent NCAA graduates on non-guaranteed contracts who could probably be relatively easily replaced I suspect the players union would have a hard time making a strike work. My gut instinct is that we'll see some sort of face saving compromise in the not too distant future.