Bill Daly Union Quotations

Now that we are into late August, union leadership recognizes that it no longer can get away with avoiding a more aggressive meeting schedule, ... So it has found a different way to stall, talking about individual team situations that have already been discussed in detail over the course of the last five years and matters, quite frankly, that should have been discussed months ago if the union truly was interested in them.

The fact that only one of the six proposals actually contemplated a salary cap exposes the union for its true motivation - to do everything necessary to precipitate a fight in an attempt to preserve the status quo.

We really have no expectations at this point. This meeting is about seeing where we are, and what the parties' thoughts are about where we go from here. It remains our objective to reach a new agreement with the union at the earliest possible date.

While the immediate 'rollback' of 24 percent offered by the union would materially improve league economics for the 2004-05 season, there is virtually nothing in the union's proposal that would prevent the dollars 'saved' from being redirected right back into the player compensation system, such that the league's overall financial losses would approach current levels in only a matter of a couple of years.

The way it appears, union leadership now will make a last-minute proposal, possibly as late as September 14 or 15, and characterize it as its 'magnanimous last and best effort to save the season,' ... I am doubtful that the proposal will be a meaningful, bona fide effort to address our problems, which threaten to deprive our fans of a prompt start to the season. If the proposal consists of a repackaged 'status quo' system, it will not work - and will not be acceptable - and union leadership knows it.

We are very frustrated and concerned over where we are in this process. The union is engaged in a charade. It is clear to us that union leadership has no interest in negotiating or making a deal to save the start of the season. Union leadership is stalling, doing everything in its power to ensure this collective bargaining negotiation is not resolved in a timely manner.

Not that a luxury tax would work, but we're not going to walk away from the table just because there's one in the offer. What we're looking for is a legitimate effort by the union that we feel addresses our issues.

The union seemed amenable to giving the matter serious consideration, but indicated that there still existed fairly significant resistance from their membership. They wanted the opportunity to use this season to further vet the issue with their players before they would agree to take the step of implementing a mandatory visor rule.