MLS released the following statement to Seattlepi.com in response to reports that the Players Union has voted overwhelmingly to strike if a new contract is not in place before March 25 season opener between the Seattle Sounders and Philadelphia Union:
“Major League Soccer’s negotiating team, including Commissioner Garber, met for three days this week with the leadership of the Players Union together with George Cohen, the director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.
We have an understanding with the Union and the mediator that we will not publicly discuss what takes places during these bargaining sessions.
As such, we were disappointed to see comments from a number of players characterizing the status of the negotiations and the possibility of a strike.
The meetings this week were productive and we have scheduled a number of additional meetings. And while we can’t discuss what occurs across the bargaining table, we do believe that the players’ comments do not accurately reflect the proposals that we have made to address the players’ concerns or the productive nature of the discussions between MLS and the Players Union.”
Before information about the vote to strike was first reported by the Washington Post late Thursday afternoon, the Boston Globe published an article placing the potential impact of a strike in historical context. In 1979 players in the North American Soccer League went on strike at the peak of the League’s popularity. The NASL folded in 1984.
Funny, except for saying that it doesn’t look that good, I don’t think any MLS player has told us jack squat of what is actually been talked about in these meetings.
Why are MLS leadership burying their heads in the sand?
Oy. Not good. I personally am generally on the players’ side in this. The contract situation in MLS is odd, if not possibly unconstitutional/anticompetitive. But a strike will not be good for anyone–owners, players, fans…nobody.