The CFL Players’ Association ratified its new collective agreement with CFL on Thursday night.
CFLPA made the email. The players’ vote came hours after the two sides reached a seven-year preliminary agreement.
Ratification came two days after CFL commissioner Randy Ambrose revealed the league’s latest offer to his players.
The deal also needs to be ratified by the CFL board of directors, but this is not expected to be a problem. Once the players accept the agreement, the league’s exhibition season will open on time on Friday night.
“We are pleased that the players have already ratified a new collective agreement between the CFL and the CFLPA,” Ambrose said in a statement. “The CFL Board of Directors will soon hold its vote on ratification.
“We look forward to a successful season – including pre-season games this weekend – and a long and productive partnership with our players.”
The CFLPA did not provide general results from the vote. The players of six of the nine CFL teams had to accept the deal in order to be ratified, with the required margin of at least 50 percent plus one of the ballots in favor.
On Monday, players voted against a preliminary deal the union recommended. The CFLPA also recommended ratification of the preliminary agreement on Thursday.
According to sources, the CFL teams will have seven Canadian starters and a total of 21 on the list this year. In 2023, that number will increase to eight, with one nationalized Canadian-American who has spent either five years in the CFL or at least three with the same team.
Clubs will also be able to rotate two nationalized Canadians for up to 49 percent of the photos. The teams may move to three nationalized Canadians in 2024, but the two franchises that play the most Canadians at the end of the season will receive additional elections for the second round.
All seven purely Canadian game starters will remain intact for the duration of the deal, which may reopen five years from now when CFL’s TSN deal expires.
Sources spoke on condition of anonymity, as neither the league nor the union provided specific details about the new agreement.
Sources also said the CFL would provide $ 1.255 million in a player ratification pool. The salary cap this year will remain at $ 5.35 million and will increase to $ 5.51 million in 2023. It will be $ 5.99 million in 2028.
The minimum wages for global, national (Canadian) and American players will be consistent. The figure will increase from $ 65,000 to $ 70,000 next year and $ 75,000 in 2027.
The maximum allowance for housing this year will be $ 2,300 a month for six months. The CFL and CFLPA agree on an annual review to determine the maximum number of housing allowances for the next season.
In return, CFL receives extended peace of mind and the opportunity to really rebuild its business in time. The league did not play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic – reportedly losing between $ 60 and $ 80 million – and ran a shortened campaign of 14 games last year.
Last December, the league announced a partnership with Genius Sports, a data, technology and trade company that connects sports, betting and the media. In August 2021, CFL signed a multi-year partnership with BetRegal to become its official online sports partner.
Last month, the single-player sports betting industry opened completely in Ontario.
But Canadian Justin Palardi, a former footballer who spent time with five CFL teams from 2010-15, went on social media to express his dissatisfaction with the deal.
“As I said in another tweet, what’s the point of recruiting more (Canadians) if we are going to get rid of Canadians?” He tweeted. “You may think this is a great idea, it doesn’t mean it makes sense.”
Defensive lineman / linebacker Shomari Williams, who finished first in the 2010 CFL Draft for Saskatchewan and played with four teams in six professional seasons (2010-15), was also unimpressed.
“I feel that the main goal of the CFLPA for (Canadian) members is NOT to reduce the role of (Canadian) players in the CFL,” he tweeted. “How do you bring this to your (Canadian) members after they voted against and have confidence that you will be re-elected?”
The two sides were at odds over the Canadian ratio.
Last Wednesday, the CFL and CFLPA reached a seven-year preliminary agreement, ending a four-day strike by seven of the league’s nine teams. At first glance, there seem to be many benefits for players, including a revenue-sharing model, the possibility of reopening the pact five years after CFL signed a new broadcast deal, and veteran players who have the opportunity to negotiate partially guaranteed contracts.
But the agreement also called on CFL teams to increase the number of Canadian starters from seven to eight. The extra would also be a nationalized Canadian.
In addition, three other nationalized Canadians could play up to 49 percent of the photos. And the deal did not include a ratification bonus.
On Tuesday, Ambrose presented an amended proposal that includes a $ 1 million ratification pool and the removal of the three nationalized Canadians, who play 49 percent of the photos. However, he also reduced the number of Canadian appetizers to seven, including one nationalized Canadian.
Ambrose not only said it was CFL’s latest offer, but it was good until midnight ET on Thursday, given the league’s schedule to start on Friday night with two games. Ambrose added that if the players rejected the offer and chose to resume the strike, they would be given notice to leave their respective facilities at the training camp.
This was the second time Ambrose went public with a final contract proposal to the CFLPA. On May 14, he published a letter to fans on the league’s website, detailing the league’s offer to players hours before the expiring of the former CBA.
The next day, players from seven CFL teams chose not to attend training camp and went on strike. Both the Edmonton Elks and the Calgary Stampiders opened the camp on schedule because they were not on legal strike at the time, according to provincial labor laws.
This marked only the second interruption in the history of the league and the first since 1974.
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