A work stoppage is imminent for players in the ECHL, represented by the Professional Hockey Players’ Association, should the organization and the league fail to finalize a new labor contract.
On Monday, the PHPA declared that its ECHL contingent had issued a strike notification, set to become active on Friday, coinciding with the planned return to games after the holiday pause. Brian Ramsay, the executive director, reported Monday that players had approved their negotiating team’s power to initiate a strike during a vote held on Friday.
“The sentiment among our members is unequivocally that their patience has worn thin,” Ramsay communicated during a virtual press conference. “Regrettably, this league appears to favor intimidation over genuine negotiation.”
According to Ramsay’s latest statement, given on Tuesday, the parties seemed to be no nearer to resolving their differences, despite the PHPA’s proposal to settle the dispute via either mediation or arbitration.
“The ECHL promptly dismissed this proposed resolution, insisting on ‘substantial shifts’ and givebacks from the athletes,” Ramsay stated in a public announcement. “This pattern of behavior is consistent with the heightened intimidation tactics our members have encountered in the last day and a half.”
Discussions for the new collective bargaining agreement commenced in January, and Ramsay has leveled accusations against the league for engaging in improper negotiation strategies, such as directly presenting proposals to players, actions that have been brought to the attention of the National Labor Relations Board.
“For nearly a year, this league resisted acknowledging our right to select properly fitting and secure helmets,” Ramsay asserted. “It’s also the league that continues to furnish our athletes with pre-owned gear. Furthermore, it’s a league that demonstrates no regard for player travel, actually suggesting that a nine-hour bus journey back home constitutes a day of rest. This year, some of our members have endured more than 28 hours on a bus to compete in consecutive games on a Friday and Saturday evening, yet their compensation was lower than that of the officials overseeing those exact matches.”
On Monday, the ECHL published specifics of its most recent offer on its official site, indicating a plan to increase the salary ceiling by 16.4% for the current season, with back pay issued once approved, along with future increments to overall player wages, aiming for almost 27% above the existing limit. The league also mentioned proposing higher daily allowances, compulsory rest day mandates, and a 325-mile restriction on travel distances for games played on successive days.
“Our strategy is to consistently weigh the imperative of backing our athletes effectively against sustaining a viable economic framework that guarantees the league’s enduring prosperity, keeping it economical and approachable for supporters,” the ECHL stated, also noting that the typical ticket cost is $21. “Discussions have moved forward, though not at our desired pace.
“Several preliminary understandings have been achieved, and our objective remains securing an all-encompassing new contract that benefits our athletes and safeguards the enduring vitality of each club within our league.”
Challenging the figures presented in the ECHL’s proposal, Ramsay pointed out that due to inflation, players would effectively earn less than they did in 2018, before the global health crisis. The league warned that a cessation of work would lead to certain games being rescheduled, players losing their wages, and forfeiting housing and health coverage that the league provides.
Ramsay characterized the intimidation of players losing their accommodation during a strike as an illegal labor tactic on its own.
“For the past month and a half or two, clubs have repeatedly attempted to intimidate and harass our members, jeopardizing their employment, their living arrangements, and their work permits if they are foreign nationals — employing various strategies of this nature,” Ramsay reported.
Jimmy Mazza, a veteran of multiple ECHL seasons and a current member of the bargaining panel, contended that team proprietors lack firsthand understanding of enduring a 29-hour bus journey or being supplied with second-hand headgear.
“At the highest tier, it’s common knowledge that athletes don’t face such treatment, so why are we being subjected to it?” Mazza questioned. “From our perspective, the year-long course of these talks feels somewhat dismissive, especially when progress on a helmet concern only emerged five days ago, a matter that should have been settled twelve months prior.”
The ECHL, previously identified as the East Coast Hockey League but now operating solely under its initials, functions as a North American minor league situated two tiers beneath the NHL, with the American Hockey League serving as the intermediate stage. This league comprises 30 franchises, with 29 located within the United States and a single one in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada.
The AHL and PHPA have continued to operate under the conditions of their most recent labor agreement, which concluded on August 31. A representative for the AHL indicated that both parties are nearing a fresh accord.
Earlier this year, the NHL and its Players’ Association formally endorsed a pact guaranteeing industrial harmony until 2030.
