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After a recent strike by the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) over labor issues, the ECHL and the PHPA have come to a preliminary agreement.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In a swift turn of events, the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) announced, just a day after PHPA members initiated a strike, that a tentative agreement has been forged.
On Saturday night, the ECHL took to social media to reveal that a provisional collective bargaining agreement had been negotiated with the PHPA.
In their statement, the ECHL noted, “Players will return to their teams in good faith, ready to resume play, contingent on the deal’s ratification and approval.”
Although an initial agreement is in place, it still requires ratification by both the ECHL Board of Governors and the PHPA members to be finalized, according to the sports league.
On Friday, Dec. 26, the time to reach a collective bargaining agreement between the PHPA and the hockey league expired, prompting the strike. As a result, a Jacksonville Icemen game was postponed.
The PHPA negotiations before the strike aimed to address concerns such as player health and working conditions. In a statement on Dec. 22, the union said it had struggled to secure safe player equipment and a weekly day off, pushing them to send the strike notice.
The union previously accused the league of unfair labor practices and undermining the bargaining process, and said it filed at least two complaints with the National Labor Relations Board. PHPA claims the league has had direct communications with players related to bargaining “in an attempt to bully and intimidate players with tactics that violate US labor law.”
Previous First Coast News information contributed to this report.
