TORONTO — Saturday's negotiations between the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the CFL Players Association ended hours before the expiration of the previous agreement.
The two sides had met for 16 hours Friday night and then returned to the bargaining tables Saturday morning. The current agreement was reached in 2019, and it was amended last year to allow for a 14-game league.
Although training camps are set to open on Sunday, the union ordered players from seven of the CFL's nine clubs to take part in a work stoppage that began at 12:01 EDT on Sunday.
Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Elks players won't report to camp, but they will join work stoppage once provincial labor law allows. Although the union confirmed that Montreal Alouettes players wouldn't be reporting Sunday, there is confusion about whether Quebec labor laws would permit them to go on strike.
Six days after rejecting the CFLPA's original proposal, negotiations resumed Wednesday. CFLPA rejected the CFL's first proposal in 1974. It was resolved before the new season.
