Sunday, August 21, 2011

The Lockout is OVER


The National Football Players Association began in 1956, in order to try and solve issues with in the NFL, creating the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in 1968.  The union decertified in 1987 for lockout. In 1998 the 1993 CBA was extended until 2003. The 2011 lockout happened because the CBA expired and the owners and players could not come to an agreement. On March 11, 2011 the NFLPA decertified. Due to the decertification, players were able to file anti-trust lawsuits against the owners.
This was a HUGE controversy because the owners and players could NOT reach an agreement for a while. The fans were NOT happy about the lockout and most didn’t understand it. This lockout was NOT because the players did not want to play.  It happened because of the lack of communication and understanding between the owners and NFLPA.
On July 27, 2011 an agreement was reached and the lockout ended. The NFLPA was able to negotiate an agreement with the owners. The new CBA cannot be ratified for 10 years meaning it cannot be touched until 2021 and there is no opt out.  The end of the lockout came just in time for the start of training camp.
The NFLPA did an amazing job getting the players what they needed. Better healthcare, pensions, and keeping a 16 game season. Hopefully the two sides can now see eye to eye and try to see things from the others point of view. 
I feel the NFLPA is a great asset to the players and was a HUGE help in this situation. Although players could file individual lawsuits against the owners, majority of the players relied on the NFLPA to take care of the situation. Players were REALLY excited to play and fans were even more anxious to watch!!
FOOTBALL IS BACK!!!! GO LIONS :) 

Sources 
http://www.nflplayers.com/Member-Services/About-us/CBA-Download/
www.nfllockout.com


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