NFL, Union Agree to Federal Mediation in Labor Dispute

Filed under: NFL Labor Negotiations

Well, the NFL and the NFL Players' Association have finally managed to agree on something in their ongoing labor dispute. They've agreed to let the federal government into the discussions.

The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service announced Thursday that the two sides in the NFL's collective bargaining negotiations have agreed to submit to federal mediation under the purview of FMCS Director George H. Cohen beginning Friday in Washington, D.C. This doesn't mean the dispute is any closer to being settled, but it does mean the sides are talking again in the hopes of getting a new CBA deal done before the current one expires March 3.

"I have had separate, informal discussions with the key representatives of the National Football League and the Players Association," Cohen said in a statement released by the agency. "At the invitation of the FMCS, and with the agreement of both parties, the ongoing negotiations will now be conducted under my auspices in Washington, D.C., commencing Friday, February 18. Due the to extreme sensitivity of these negotiations and consistent with the FMCS's long-standing practice, the Agency will refrain from any public comment concerning the future schedule and/or the status of these negotiations until further notice."

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