ESPN – After yesterday’s first meeting between the NBA and the players the league has announced they are filing an antitrust lawsuit against the NBA Players Association.
According to the league the players aren’t cooperating in negotiations towards a new collective bargaining agreement. The league isn’t happy that the NBPA has made multiple threats to disband their union and sue the league to get a more favorable CBA for themselves.
The NBA is claiming their lawsuit is legitimate, and is saying the NBPA has been practicing unfair labor practices while looking to develop a new CBA.
This is not an encouraging sign for anybody hoping the season will start on time in October, as both sides seem to be further apart than people were expecting.
Many thought this could be a long, drawn-out labor dispute that could cost multiple games of the 2011-12 season, and this report is making those beliefs look more and more likely.
Executive director of the players’ association, Billy Hunter, said in a statement that the move to file from the NBA is another example of their bad faith in the bargaining process. He also claims the NBA’s actions, including the lawsuit, are “totally without merit.”
For a complete look at the official lawsuit being filed by the NBA against the players’ union click here.
