MLS players have been braced by their union for a “probable lockout date of Feb. 1,” according to Seattle keeper Kasey Keller.
The league has been conspicuously tight-lipped about its negotiations with the players over a new collective bargaining agreement, with almost all the news leaking from the union. Keller said on his blog that the two sides were not close during negotiations for a new CBA, which expires at the end of the year.
“Negotiations have been under way between the players union and MLS for some time now. I wish I could report that we were close to signing an agreement, but that doesn’t seem to be the case,” Keller said on kaseyslastline.com. “As players we have been told of a probable lockout date of Feb. 1st.
“What’s most disappointing to me is, this isn’t a negotiation for a bunch of players wanting 8 million a year instead of 7 million a year. The main points revolve around us being given the same rights under FIFA as the rest of the players around the world.
“As an MLS player you have to sign away your FIFA rights before you are allowed to sign your contract. We would like a moderate rise in the salary cap, but the major points for the players are: guaranteed contracts, free agency, and the right to negotiate with other MLS teams. These are some of the basic rights the players in all the other leagues around the world have that we have to sign away.
“With the huge strides MLS has made since the last CBA this seems very reasonable. I would hate to see anything get in the way of the great success of the Sounders had this year, and the respect we earned in our first year as a franchise. I would think that MLS and US Soccer would be proud to announce that the sport has developed so greatly in the last few years that we are ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the world.”
Carefully-planned posturing by the players? Or are you actually concerned about a possible lockout? What kind of damage would a work stoppage do going into a World Cup summer? Assume with everything at stake there will be a last-minute deal? Holla at us…