NFLPA claims owners' proposal may violate labor laws

We've reported that Saints Jonathan Vilma Jersey the NFL owners have ratified their own proposal at about 7:00 PM Authentic Garrett Hartley Jersey ET, and we shared NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith's e-mail to the player reps just before the players' association's conference call that took place an hour Saints Archie Manning Jersey later. Almost two hours later, the conference Official Jonathan Vilma Jersey call ended, and the news is not good. Not only have the Official Darren Sharper Jersey players refused Official Jeremy Shockey Jersey to vote on that proposal Authentic Darren Sharper Jersey (and for a very good reason; they claim not to have even seen it yet), but both Smith and general counsel for the NFLPA Richard Berthelsen believe that the nature of the proposal may violate labor laws.In short, it's illegal for an employer to coerce employees to Authentic Archie Manning Jersey form a union, and that's what the NFLPA believes the owners have done in calling a press conference to make it clear that Saints Devery Henderson Jersey they Authentic Marques Colston Jersey want an agreement to pass that the players haven't yet seen.Understandably, the Official Drew Brees Jersey players and the players' Authentic Jonathan Vilma Jersey association aren't all Official Archie Manning Jersey too happy about Jets Shonn Greene Jersey this turn of events. A source close to the situation told Yahoo! Authentic Drew Brees Jersey Sports that there's "no way this gets fixed by [Friday] morning. Could [take] a few days just to get it back on course."From Roger Goodell's post-settlement press conference:With this ratification and with the Official Devery Henderson Jersey ratification of the NFLPA board, we will be prepared to open the Authentic Shonn Greene Jersey training facilities Authentic Santonio Holmes Jersey beginning on Saturday, this Saturday. We will then be prepared to start the new league year next Wednesday subject to the full membership of the players ratifying the agreement and recertifying as a union. Obviously you know that we're all under a time constraint. That's one of the reasons we worked to get this agreement completed tonight.The NFL also is said to want proof that the majority of players have signed their voting cards to indicate the number of votes needed to approve re-certification.The NFLPA's post-call e-mail (in part) to the player reps:We received Jets Santonio Holmes Jersey the NFL's proposed procedure for finalizing a settlement.  Among Official Santonio Holmes Jersey other things, it … Demands that Official Malcolm Jenkins Jersey the players re-form as a union and provide evidence by Tuesday, July 26 that a majority of players have signed union authorization cards…… In addition to depriving the players of the time needed to Authentic Devery Henderson Jersey consider forming a union and making needed changes to the old Agreement, this proposed procedure Saints Garrett Hartley Jersey would in my view also violate federal labor laws.   Those laws prohibit employers from coercing their employees into forming a union, and Saints Drew Brees Jersey could result in any Agreement Official Garrett Hartley Jersey reached through the procedure being declared Saints Jeremy Shockey Jersey null Saints Malcolm Jenkins Jersey and void.ESPN.com is reporting that the new proposal gives the NFLPA until Friday of next week to accept Authentic Jeremy Shockey Jersey the parameters of the new Jets Nick Mangold Jersey proposal or Saints Darren Sharper Jersey negotiate new ones, and that if those parameters aren't accepted, certain aspects of the new deal would revert back to the language of the previous CBA — a CBA the owners opted out of in 2008 — for the life of the new CBA. Basically, the players would lose ground and be forced to accept Official Shonn Greene Jersey it for the next decade."