AFL Players Strike?

A report has stated that the players may go on strike just days before the AFL is set to begin on Friday in Orlando. The Orlando Predators are hosting the Pittsburgh Power Friday night, but now the nationally broadcast match-up might be celebrating replacement players rather than the league's 25th anniversary.

Apparently Ivan F. Soto, the Executive Director of the AFL players' union, has been trying for eight months to renegotiate terms with the commissioner of the AFL to no avail. Unless significant progress is made within the next 48 hours, Soto states, he doesn't see the game taking place on Friday night. The players rightfully so want to make more than $400 a game before taxes and Soto puts a 10% chance that the game takes place.

"We've tried to be fair. The players even gave up healthcare in their recent contract. I have personally guaranteed that the owners collectively would not lose money on my proposal. We would not put them in that position. There is no deadline to reach an agreement. We want the league to have enough time to prepare for the game Friday night. We haven't called for a strike, just yet."


 "The league has tried some scare tactics by threatening to remove players from team housing. You can't do that. I've notified the mayor (of Orlando) and city authorities to let them know those threats have taken place. The commissioner used those words in the past, warning players they would be removed from housing and replaced permanently. We have a formal federal labor complaint with the National Labor Relations Board. We are confident we will prevail on our unfair labor practice complaints."


This would certainly put a damper on a season full of expectations for not just the Philadelphia Soul, but the AFL as well. Surrounding a year supposedly focused on progressing and celebration with a strike won't help the league's image all that much. Too many variables exist for this matter to be solved within days of the regular season. If replacement players are the "quick fix" to this issue, how can a league and its teams fill their rosters before any games are possibly canceled quickly and proficiently enough to deliver the same quality product to its customers? I just don't see it happening and canceling/postponing games would just be traumatic for the league.

More details to come as they come to surface...