Hopson weighs in on CFL labour situation

Jim Hopson has a unique perspective on the CFL’s labour situation — because he has two perspectives.

Hopson was an offensive lineman with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1974 when the CFL’s players went on strike. Then, years later, he was on the league’s negotiating team when he was the president and CEO of the Roughriders.

Now, Hopson is watching as the CFL and the CFL Players’ Association are again at loggerheads on the labour front. The players on seven teams — including the Roughriders — are on strike, with the members of the two Alberta teams expected to walk off the job in the coming days.

“I’m disappointed,” Hopson told The Green Zone on Monday. “I understand the frustration on both sides. The business model has not worked that well for the CFL a lot of times …

“Maybe it’s my player background but I’ve always viewed the situation as one where we should be full partners with the players and open the books and make sure they buy into why there are certain challenges and so on. But I’m a little nervous (this time).”

Things have changed significantly since Hopson went on strike with the rest of the Roughriders in 1974. Teams played four pre-season games each and camps were longer in those days, so Hopson didn’t feel a sense of urgency when the strike started.

Now, teams have just two pre-season games and players have less time in camp to show their wares to the coaches. As a result, being out on strike could affect their chances of earning a livelihood.

In Hopson’s mind, somebody has to take the first step to get the sides back to the table.

“Those who have the money and the power tend to be in position where sometimes you have to be the one to reach out because of the situation you’re in,” he said, referring to the league. “But I think that’s part of the issue for the players is feeling that they don’t have a lot of power and the only power they have right now is that strike and not being at camp.

“The reality is, with our CFL players, a lot of them are not making big money, they’ve probably been struggling to get through the off-season and pandemic and everything else, so they’re looking to get back to work and (are) frustrated by the whole process but want to be treated fairly.

“So much of it comes down to respect and trust. Yes, money’s important and all the rest of it, but you need to both feel that you’re being listened to, you’re being respected and you trust what the other people are saying.”

Hopson described the talks in which he was involved, saying the sides spend a lot of time in their own groups crafting offers and counteroffers.

“It’s an interesting process and some days, you feel like you didn’t get very far,” Hopson said. “You don’t spend that much time talking face to face. You’re more in your own meetings talking about different things.

“But I found the players were very open (and) very candid in where they were trying to get to … We (on the league negotiating team) certainly weren’t trying to win. We just wanted to put something together that worked for both sides.”

Stumbling blocks remain in the current negotiations, from players’ salaries to revenue-sharing models to the number of padded practices teams can have.

With reports saying there aren’t any talks scheduled, the clock is ticking on the CFL pre-season. The Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers were to play Monday at Mosaic Stadium, so no negotiations could mean no game on Victoria Day.

Hopson said pre-season games set the stage for the regular season and get people excited about football again after a long off-season. There’s also the issue of the bottom line.

“It’s a hit, there’s no doubt about it,” Hopson said. “I know that (pre-season games) are not as well-attended as (games in the) regular season, but our history is we’ve had really good crowds in the pre-season and I think this game would have been a good game to go to because of who we’re playing.

“You’re talking about the gate revenue, you’re talking about the merchandise and the food and everything else. It’s a hit, especially if you have to give back a credit or something (to fans) because people are justified in saying, ‘Hey, we paid for 10 (games in season-ticket packages). We’re not getting 10.’ ’’