Players Ratify CBA, With Some Dissenters
by Ridge Mahoney (Article | Soccer America - May 5)
By not quite as resounding a margin as they approved a possible strike, MLS players have ratified the new, five-year collective bargaining agreement. The MLS Players Union sent out a release Tuesday stating that 84 percent of the players approved the CBA in voting conducted by representatives of the individual teams. more details | go to article

Twellman: MLS Deal Is A Win-Win
by Frank Dell'Apa (Profile/Interview | Boston Globe - March 23)
Taylor Twellman drew on history lessons as a Revolution player representative in collective bargaining agreement negotiations. Twellman knew from the experience of his predecessors an MLS players’ strike should be avoided, but he also realized the importance of being united. Also: Nantucket High School alum makes his debut for Brazil's Botafogo. more details | go to article

Labor Agreement Reached In MLS
by Frank Dell'Apa (Article | Boston Globe - March 21)
Major League Soccer’s 15th season will begin as scheduled next week. Management and players approved a collective bargaining agreement around noon yesterday, allowing the league’s single-entity structure to remain intact, but also allowing limited player movement and providing overall salary increases, plus guaranteed contracts for most of the 400-plus players. more details | go to article

One Date Change Means Nothing
by Ridge Mahoney (Commentary | Soccer America - March 2)
The on-going negotiations, or lack of same, on a new collective bargaining agreement by MLS and the players’ union have prompted the league to push back the date by which teams must be roster and salary-cap compliant. more details | go to article

Union, Major League Soccer Far Apart On Contract
by Daniel Girard (Article | Toronto Star - February 26)
Players remain in training camp but say a strike possible as bargaining on new agreement breaks off more details | go to article

The Friday Five Explains The Demise Of The MLS CBA
by Kyle McCarthy (Analysis | Goal.com - February 26)
MLS and the MLS Players Union are now without a Collective Bargaining Agreement after the old CBA finally expired yesterday. Kyle McCarthy explains the impact of its demise in the Friday Five. more details | go to article

An MLS Strike Helps No One
by Grahame L. Jones (Article | Los Angeles Times - February 26)
Fans have too many other options, particularly in a World Cup year. Players say free agency is the key. more details | go to article

MLS On Brink Of Work Stoppage?
by Ridge Mahoney (Article | Soccer America - February 25)
In this case, no news may be bad news, as movement toward a collective bargaining agreement seems to be nonexistent. Through two extensions agreed upon by Major League Soccer and the MLS Players Union, the deadline to finalize a new agreement is Thursday. more details | go to article

As CBA Expires, MLS Players Refrain From Strike For Time Being
by Zac Lee Rigg (Article | Goal.com - February 25)
A sort of paralysis has crept into Major League Soccer. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement will expire at midnight on Thursday, ushering in, well, nothing. more details | go to article

To Strike Or Not To Strike: The Players' No-Win Option
by Paul Gardner (Commentary | Soccer America - February 24)
The negotiations -- if that’s what they are -- going on between MLS and the players union are, of course, a mess. I’m afraid that’s the way it’s always been with this owners-players confrontation in American soccer. more details | go to article

Major League Soccer And The "Last Chance Saloon"
by Brad Paton (Commentary | US Soccer Review - February 24)
Major League Soccer tries to deny accusations that it is a combination developmental league/retirement home for aging veterans without viable options elsewhere, but the recent kerfuffle over the Collective Bargaining Agreement with the MLS Players’ Union as well as US Men’s National Team Coach Bob Bradley’s likely roster choices for tickets to South Africa this summer tell a different story. more details | go to article

Tension Mounts As MLS CBA Deadline Approaches
by Kyle McCarthy (Article | Goal.com - February 24)
MLS and the MLS Players Union have two days left to reach an agreement over a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Kyle McCarthy updates the status of the talks with a few notes before answering reader questions from the mailbag. more details | go to article

Little Player Power In Major League Soccer
by Ian Plenderleith (Commentary | When Saturday Comes - February 23)
The 2010 Major League Soccer season is due to kick off in just over a month, but don't get too excited. A good old-fashioned labour dispute over player contracts could mean that the season is either delayed or cancelled altogether if the players go on strike. more details | go to article

Clock Ticking As Labor Strife Continues
by Ridge Mahoney (Analysis | Soccer America - February 23)
It’s time to analyze the analysis of the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations as explained, or not, to members of the American press. more details | go to article

On The MLS Labor Mess
by Ives Galarcep (Analysis | Soccer By Ives - February 22)
The 2010 Major League Soccer season may still kick off as planned, without a delay in the start of the season, but the process to get to that point is going to be a messy one after labor talks went public on Friday, leading to an ugly back-and-forth that might just be the beginning of a lengthy battle. more details | go to article