ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Solar Bears won’t be taking to the ice tonight due to a Professional Hockey Players’ Association players’ strike.
What we know:
In a released statement, the ECHL announced that the Dec. 26 game between the Orlando Solar Bears and Jacksonville Icemen won’t be taking place. The match, set for 7 p.m., is postponed due to a players’ strike. The match was set to take place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville.
What they’re saying:
In a Dec. 26 released statement on the Solar Bears’ website, the ECHL said the decision to postpone the game came after the union and hockey players’ association failed to reach an agreement regarding salary pay, time off and players’ equipment.
In response, all ECHL players went on strike, which began on Dec. 26.
The PHPA claimed the league had ongoing unfair labor practices with unlawful conduct dating back to the spring and early summer, “when it made unilateral changes to mandatory subjects of bargaining and engaged in regressive negotiations,” the PHPA said.
“This prompted the PHPA to file an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board seeking to remedy the league’s unlawful conduct and restore the parties’ statutory obligation to bargain in good faith,” the PHPA said in a Dec. 22 statement.
On Dec. 26, the ECHL said, “Unfortunately, union leaders deprived players of the opportunity to vote on our last, best, and final offer – an offer that would dramatically raise player salaries by 20 percent in the first year, boost the per-diem rate, guarantee more off days, and expand the top-of-the-line equipment available to players. We did everything possible to avoid this outcome, and hope that the union leadership will drop its unworkable scheduling demands, let the players vote on our offer, and make it possible for players to return to work.”
What is the PHPA asking for?
In a statement released from PHPA Executive Director Brian Ramsay, the PHPA said:
“We have informed the ECHL that we are willing to continue discussions to resolve all outstanding matters. For several months, we have been engaged in bargaining with the league, and their unlawful and coercive conduct throughout this process has been incredibly disappointing. We are asking for basic standards around health, safety and working conditions that allow the players to remain healthy, compete at a high level and build sustainable professional careers. Our members have never been more united and remain ready to return to the bargaining table at any time. We sincerely hope the ECHL will engage in good-faith negotiations so a fair agreement can be reached and any disruption to the season can be avoided.”
What’s the ECHL proposing?
The other side:
The ECHL said on Dec. 25, it made its final offer to the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA), saying it was made clear to union leadership that any future offers would result in a loss of revenue due to missed games from the players’ strike.
Here’s what the ECHL’s offer consisted of:
An immediate 19.8% increase to the salary cap for this season – to be paid retroactively from the start of the season (which would be paid upon ratification).Additional salary cap increases in future years, which would increase total player salaries nearly 27% from the current cap.In addition to the increase in player salaries, the ECHL will continue to cover 100 percent of player costs for:Fully furnished housingUtility and internet costsMedical and dental benefitsFully furnished housingUtility and internet costsMedical and dental benefitsWe have also made several proposals aimed at improving health and safety, including:Requirements for mandatory days offAddressing travel between back-to-back gamesModifying holiday and mid-season breaksRequirements for mandatory days offAddressing travel between back-to-back gamesModifying holiday and mid-season breaksEnable every team to provide custom sticks and enable all players to choose an alternate 5-Star rated helmet from the Virginia Tech Helmet Study.Increase per diems (reimbursements for meals while traveling) to $60 this year, as well as future increases that will raise the per diem by 24.5 percent from the current rate.
What’s next:
As of Dec. 26, the Solar Bears’ match against the South Carolina Stingrays at the Kia Center in Orlando on Sunday, Dec. 28 remains on their schedule. Tickets start at $25.95 a person.
The Source: Information in this story was gathered from the Orlando Solar Bears, ECHL and PHPA’s websites.