(Reuters) – The NFL’s labor negotiations have moved closer to a resolution as the NFL Players Association said on Wednesday that its board of player representatives voted to send a deal already approved by owners to its membership for a vote.
The decision by the 32 team representatives to have the full player membership vote on the proposed terms of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was announced in a tweet by the NFLPA.
According to a report on the NFL’s website, the vote to send the proposal to the union’s near-2,000 members was 17-14 with one abstention.
The vote to ratify the new 10-year CBA requires approval from a simple majority of players to pass.
The latest development came hours after a four-hour meeting between NFL owners and NFLPA members in Indianapolis.
Last Thursday, owners approved a potential new deal that, among other things, would give the NFL the option to expand to a 17-game schedule, increase players’ revenue share and increase the playoff field to 14 teams from 12.
But on Friday the 11-member NFLPA Executive Committee voted 6-5 against recommending the proposed agreement to the overall body of players and then the 32-member board of players representatives decided against holding a vote on the matter.
The current CBA took effect in 2011 and is set to expire following the 2020 season.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; editing by Ken Ferris)
