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CFLPA will vote in AB, revote in ON, could strike as early as Sunday, perhaps disrupting games

The ongoing CFL-CFLPA dispute over a new collective bargaining agreement could lead to lost games as early as Monday if a deal isn't reached. According to Sportsnet's Arash Madani, the union is continuing its strike preparations, holding a vote for the members of the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos Saturday. (The other teams previously voted, but Alberta labour laws meant a strike vote there couldn't be held until seven days after the old CBA expired.) Interestingly enough, the union is also revoting in Ontario, and this time, they're including rookies (who aren't yet certified CFLPA members). Beyond that, though, it's the timeframe that's most notable:

Sources tell Sportsnet that non-Alberta based players could take to the picket lines as early as Sunday, June 8 — the day before the Blue Bombers are scheduled to host the Toronto Argonauts in Winnipeg in the first exhibition game of 2014.

A league source told Sportsnet Thursday night that its organization has been told to prepare for the players to go strike as early as June 9. But all that may change should the league present a new offer before then. Last week, CFL commissioner Mark Cohon maintained that the CFL’s most recent proposal was its final one.

It's notable that this wouldn't be a league-wide strike, as Alberta players can't strike until June 10. However, everyone else appears able to do so before then, and the players might want to force a missed preseason game to show that they're serious. Madani also tweeted that a strike seems most likely to come Monday, disrupting the league's first scheduled preseason game between Toronto and Winnipeg.

That could create all sorts of problems. Monday's game features the Argonauts at the Blue Bombers, and it's expected to be televised on TSN at 8:30 p.m. Eastern. If it's going to be knocked off by a strike, how will that work? Will the Argonauts (generally thought to be the league's poorest team) spend money on flying players out to Winnipeg and putting them up in a hotel for a game they're not likely to play? When will Bomber fans planning to attend be told there's no game? What will Winnipeg do about all the vendors, security staff, ticket-takers and the like expected to work the game? What's TSN going to do to fill that airtime? (I hear there might be dodgeball available.) This may not be a regular-season game, but it's still going to impact a lot of people, and if the strike news doesn't come until Sunday or even Monday, it's going to be quite the mess to sort out.

Madani's piece has plenty of other notable information. According to him, the revote in Ontario and the decision to include rookies there and in Alberta is believed to be a "pre-emptive move to counter any potential legal challenge the league may present to the legitimacy of a strike vote." That makes sense for the union, but it also shows they're very serious about a strike. (It also illustrates the challenges of a labour dispute that's taking place across six different provincial jurisdictions.) Madani also describes some of the details in the CFL's "best and final offer" from last Thursday, which hasn't yet been made public, and what he writes further illustrates that this dispute isn't just about the cap ceiling; plenty of divides remain over non-capped compensation, work hours in season and out of season, option years and training camp physicals, amongst other things.

A strike may still yet be averted if one side or the other moves and negotiations resume, but the league has refused to back off their "best and final offer" so far, and while the players made further concessions Tuesday, they're probably not eager to give up more. We'll see how this plays out, but Monday's preseason game appears very much up in the air at this point, and the following ones (on Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14) also would appear in danger. Unless some progress is made, it seems we might well have some missed games.