The union that represents hockey players on the Bloomington Bison and other ECHL teams claims the league violated federal labor law and is threatening to strike as soon as Friday, officials said. The ECHL says players will lose their housing, medical benefits and pay if they strike.
The contentious contract talks now threaten to postpone or cancel games, starting Friday, when the Bison are scheduled to play at the Iowa Heartlanders. The ECHL claimed in a statement the Professional Hockey Players’ Association [PHPA] “informed its players that it could force players to stop work as early as” Friday.
“Our approach will continue to balance the need to best support our players and maintain a sustainable business model that helps ensure the long-term success of our league so it remains affordable and accessible to fans,” the ECHL said in its statement posted online.
The PHPA union has already authorized a strike, claiming the league appears “to prefer bullying to bargaining and does not respect the process nor the players’ right to negotiate a fair settlement.”
“As of [Sunday], after reviewing the league’s most recent response, there has been no meaningful movement toward a fair resolution,” the PHPA said in a statement.
The PHPA represents players in the ECHL that includes the Bison. The Bison, affiliated with the NHL’s New York Rangers, are 13-9 in their second season at the city-owned Grossinger Motors Arena.
The ECHL said it’s willing to increase player compensation, improve health and safety, and deliver on “new initiatives that are responsive to our players to support them on and off the ice.” Specifically, the ECHL said it’s offered to raise each team’s salary cap (currently at $14,600 per week) by 16.4% immediately and by nearly 27% in future years of the contract. Under the current deal, players make, on average, around $730 per week if their team is spending the maximum amount. A 27% increase would bring that to $927 per week.
The ECHL also said it’s willing to increase per diems (reimbursements for meals while traveling) to $60 per day this year, up from $53 currently, as well as future increases. The league says it’s also made “several proposals aimed at improving health and safety,” including requirements for mandatory days off, addressing travel between back-to-back games, and modifying holiday and mid-season breaks.
“Our league prides itself on our ability to deliver high-level competition and provide affordable entertainment in our communities — with an average ticket price across the league of approximately $21,” the ECHL said.
Union's allegations
The PHPA said it recently filed a second complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, this time because the ECHL allegedly “sent at least two direct communications to players through team management regarding bargaining-related matters, in an attempt to bully and intimidate players with tactics that violate U.S. labor law.”
“These communications bypassed the players' bargaining representative and contained statements that were inaccurate and inappropriate,” said the PHPA, adding the league has “resisted basic player safety and working condition issues.”
“It has taken almost a year to persuade the league that we should be entitled to choose helmets that properly fit us. We still have clubs supplying members with used equipment,” the union said. “The league shows no concern or regard for players' travel schedule and has said that the nine-hour bus trip home should be considered our day off. Until a few days ago, the league was not prepared to give us a day off per week, and they refused to negotiate a meaningful holiday break that allows players to be home with our families, which would be consistent with professional hockey in North America. These are matters that directly affect players’ health, safety, and ability to perform their job.”
PHPA’s last collective bargaining agreement with the ECHL ended in June. In a letter to fans in November, the PHPA said it was “far apart from the League on several fundamental issues that speak to fairness, respect, and the sustainability of professional hockey at this level.”
Those issues included mandatory rest periods, wages, and players’ community involvement and off-ice contributions.
ECHL players previously went on strike in 2003, though that was during the offseason.
