MLS and union sign 5-year labor contract, avoid strike

The MLS Players Union said it would strike if an agreement wasn't reached before March 25, when the new season kicks off.

Negotiators restarted intensive talks on Thursday in Washington, D.C, and went overnight to 2 a.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday.

Union head Bob Foose said a majority of players will receive guaranteed contracts for the first time and there will be increased player rights within the league when contracts expire.

“From our perspective, these negotiations were always about players' rights,” Foose said.

MLS commissioner Don Garber said the agreement was reached in an “evolutionary way rather than revolutionary way.”

“This is a great way for Major League Soccer to start its season,” Garber said.

Management was opposed to free agency within MLS, which has negotiated all contracts on behalf of its teams since play began in 1996. MLS said players always had the option of signing with clubs overseas.

“Players will have greater rights at the expiration of their agreements but they will not be free agents within the league,” Garber said.

Instead, there will be a re-entry draft for players whose contracts end or options are declined.

“We think we have made some real improvements in players' ability to move,” Foose said.

The union said on March 11 it would strike if an agreement wasn't reached before March 25. Player representatives flew in to attend talks, including league MVP Landon Donovan. The Los Angeles Galaxy star completed a 10-week loan to Everton last weekend and said he might return to England in the event of a strike.

The talks were supervised by George H. Cohen, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. He said he tried to reach agreement on smaller issues to build momentum and get the sides to realize “Western civilization does not hang in the balance.”

Player income averaged US$147,945 at the start of last season, according to the union. But the median was US$88,000 for 323 players listed.

A strike would have disrupted some World Cup planning for the U.S. While most of the players on the 23-man roster are likely to be selected from European clubs, a delay in the start of the MLS season would have left the U.S.-based players with no matches to get sharp before national team training in mid-May.

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