NHL players will vote on union dissolution
BY AP Wire Service
Sunday, December 16, 2012
12/16/12 at 6:05 AM
TORONTO (AP) - NHL players will begin voting Sunday on whether they will grant the players' association's executive board the authority to dissolve the union because of the inability to reach a collective bargaining agreement with the league.
Two-thirds of the union's membership must vote in favor of allowing the executive board to file a "disclaimer of interest," a source told The Canadian Press on Saturday. Votes will be cast electronically over a five-day period that ends Thursday.
The union is taking steps toward a breakup even after the NHL started mounting a legal challenge against it.
On Friday, the NHL filed a class-action complaint that asked a federal court in New York to make a declaration on the legality of the lockout.
In the 43-page complaint, the league argued the players' association was only considering the "disclaimer of interest" to "extract more favorable terms and conditions of employment."
The NHL also filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board.
The union issued a statement on Friday night that claimed the league overstepped its bounds.
Players have already missed five paychecks during the lockout that will enter its 14th week on Sunday. More than 500 regular-season games through Dec. 30 have been wiped off the schedule.
Original Print Headline: NHL union could dissolve
