CFL and CFLPA are negotiating again as strike vote proceeds, but will they get anywhere?

After over a week of inaction in collective bargaining talks, the CFL has returned to the bargaining table with its players. Talks began late Friday and have continued through Saturday morning. That doesn't necessarily mean anything will be solved, though. The league has been continually insisting that their May 29 proposal was their "best and final" one, and while the players have proved more willing to move, backing off revenue-sharing demands and suggesting a 2014 cap ceiling just $200,000 above the league's proposal, there are still substantial divides between their position and the CFL's. Still, having talks start up again seems positive, even if it's motivated by a ticking clock; while the executives on each side are bargaining, CFL players in Alberta and Ontario are conducting a strike vote, and a strike could happen as early as Sunday, throwing Monday's preseason game between Toronto and Winnipeg into disarray. What are the sides still arguing about? Here's a summary from Dan Ralph:

It's notable that there are substantial financial divides still on non-cap compensation, and that some of the other issues also involve a financial element. For example, on the player-safety front, the players have asked for independent neurologists on the sidelines and the ability to receive second opinions from U.S.-based doctors, both of which would carry substantial extra costs for the league. Beyond that, there are also debates over how much teams can expect players to practice per week and how many offseason training events they can hold, and the players would also like to enable veterans to sign one-year contracts (rather than the current minimum of two). It may take quite a while to hammer any sort of deal out, but there does seem to be some progress happening. TSN's Matthew Scianitti tweeted Saturday afternoon that the CFLPA executive will hold a conference call with player reps from across the league Saturday night:

That may be a positive sign, suggesting that the league's brought something interesting enough forward that the union negotiating committee wants to discuss it with a wider circle. (Of course, though, that could also be a call just saying "Not enough progress has been made, so we're going to strike; here's the strike plan.") Still, having both sides talking seems like a positive. Will that be enough to avert a strike? We'll find out before too long.