CFL moves toward work stoppage

TORONTO (AP) — The president of the Canadian Football League Players’ Association says a work stoppage is closer after the league rejected the union’s most recent offer for a new labor deal.

“All the indications I’m getting from players is they’re prepared to get the attention to what’s going on out there,” union president Scott Flory said. “Our guys are insulted and upset by what’s going on.”

The players tabled a new offer Monday that called for a shorter term and included concessions on the salary cap and the amount of revenue that would trigger the renegotiation of the deal.

The two sides haven’t met face-to-face since Thursday and no new talks are scheduled.

CFL commissioner Mark Cohon said he hopes the players don’t go on strike but that the next move is theirs.

“We understand they’re very serious but we want to see football,” he said.

The previous collective bargaining agreement expired Thursday night. Training camps still opened as scheduled Sunday.

The earliest players could strike en masse is Tuesday due to Alberta labor laws. That means Monday night’s exhibition game between Toronto and Winnipeg would go ahead, but a work stoppage would jeopardize games scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

A lengthy strike could delay the scheduled June 26 start of the regular season, which McCallum said would be unfortunate given Ottawa’s return to the CFL in 2014.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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