The ECHL, one of the top minor hockey leagues in North America, could go dark with a work stoppage Friday as its membership has served a notice to go on strike following unsuccessful labor negotiations toward a new collective bargaining agreement.
The Professional Hockey Players’ Association announced the move Monday after authorizing a strike Thursday, citing a forced step “to protect the integrity of the bargaining process” resulting from what it alleges are “ongoing unfair labor practices” by the ECHL.
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“We have informed the ECHL that we are willing to continue discussions to resolve all outstanding matters,” PHPA executive director Brian Ramsay said in a statement. “For several months, we have been engaged in bargaining with the league, and their unlawful and coercive conduct throughout this process has been incredibly disappointing.
“We are asking for basic standards around health, safety and working conditions that allow the players to remain healthy, compete at a high level and build sustainable professional careers. Our members have never been more united and remain ready to return to the bargaining table at any time. We sincerely hope the ECHL will engage in good-faith negotiations so a fair agreement can be reached and any disruption to the season can be avoided.”
Formerly named the East Coast Hockey League, the 30-team ECHL has 13 games slated for Friday after the Christmas holiday break. The ECHL, which in North American pro hockey is two rungs below the NHL, plays a 72-game schedule. Players are seeking more pay and improved rest and travel as teams can on occasion play three games in three nights or four games in five nights.
The PHPA represents more than 1,800 players across the American Hockey League and ECHL. Both leagues have been playing without CBAs this season after the previous agreements expired over the summer amid contentious talks. While there is strong belief that a CBA will be reached with the AHL – reports are the sides are closing in on a five-year contract – the union and the ECHL have reached an impasse.
“Our members have made it very clear that they’ve had enough,” Ramsay said in a video call Monday, according to The Associated Press. “Unfortunately, this is a league that would rather bully us than bargain.”
The union and the league have been in CBA discussions since January. But the latest breakdown in talks has players prepared to take their boldest step in seeking an improvement in working conditions.
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“This is a league that has taken almost a year to concede that we should be entitled to choose helmets that properly fit us and are safe,” Ramsay said. “This is the league that still supplies our members with used equipment. This is a league that shows no concern for players’ travels and, in fact, has said the nine-hour bus trip home should be considered your day off.
“We have had members this year spend 28 hours-plus on a bus to play back-to-back games on a Friday and Saturday night, only to be paid less than the referees who work those very same games.”
On its website, the ECHL said it has offered an immediate 16.4 percent increase to the salary cap for this season, which will be paid upon CBA ratification retroactively from the start of the season. The league also said additional salary-cap increases are planned in future years, which would increase total player salaries by nearly 27 percent.
The league also contends that it will continue to cover all player costs for housing, utility and internet costs along with medical and dental benefits. It has made proposals geared to improving health and safety, including addressing requirements for mandatory days off, travel between games on consecutive nights and modifying holiday and midseason schedule breaks.
“As we continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) with the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA), our goal continues to be reaching an agreement that increases player compensation, improves health and safety, and delivers on new initiatives that are responsive to our players to support them on and off the ice,” the ECHL said Monday. “Negotiations have been progressing, but not as quickly as we would like. We have reached a number of tentative agreements and remain focused on reaching a comprehensive new agreement that supports our players and the long-term health of every team in our league.”
All 30 ECHL teams are affiliated with NHL clubs, with only the Columbus Blue Jackets and Utah Mammoth lacking a direct connection to the league this season. Teams typically assign prospects to the ECHL to get them additional playing time instead of occupying a depth role or press box seat in the AHL, where the level of play is higher and there are higher-paid veteran players.
This news was originally published on this post .
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