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Originally Posted by Laz
conference call + digital signatures = done in a couple of hours
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They arguably can not do that. The NFL expected the players to just send an e-mail and round up electronic signatures in a day or two.
However, given the fact that the NFL made the deal contingent on reforming a union in a few days, if the players re-certified in a few days and signed the CBA in a mad rush, some random unhappy disgruntled player could sue, asking a judge to throw the CBA out due to illegal coercion.
This whole controversy about the NFL illegally forcing players to quickly reform a union isn't because the players or NFLPA would disagree with forming a union to accept a deal they like. That was the plan all along. The problem is that if the NFL gives the appearance of coercing the players into joining a union, even if 99% of the players agree, the 1% could blow the deal up.
The players think they know a way out of the legal labor law mess the NFL created, and that is why they are asking for immediate access to the team facilities before signing the CBA. It isn't so the union could make a show of pushing back in a childish face-saving move. They want to have the players meet in person to discuss and vote on the deal. They believe that if they take their time and do it that way rather than rushing to get e-signatures, then any complaint from a disgruntled player to the NLRB would fail.
From the WSJ:
http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2011/0...ogle_news_blog
Quote:
League officials would prefer the players vote to recertify, perhaps electronically, as soon as possible, after which the two sides could bargain for three days about work-place polices on drug testing, benefits, player conduct and several other matters that can’t be discussed until the association has re-formed as a collective bargaining unit.
But the Players Association wants to undertake a more formal process. It wants an opportunity to explain the new CBA to its membership and then hold an in-person vote at each training camp. Such a process would pass muster with the National Labor Relations Board in case any members challenged the legitimacy of the vote in the coming months or years.
League officials remain resistant to opening training camps or beginning free agency before the union has recertified, though it’s unclear whether they will allow an argument over the recertification process to kill the proposed deal.
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