Players fire first shot in NBA labor war

The National Basketball Players Association fired the first shot in a brewing labor battle with the NBA with the collective-bargaining agreement set to expire June 30. Motivated by what union executive director Billy Hunter views as regressive bargaining -- the NBPA Tuesday filed an unfair labor practice charge against the NBA with the National Labor Relations Board.

According to the charge, which was obtained by Newsday, the players union is alleging that the league "has violated and continues to violate" multiple sections of the National Labor Relations Act by "making harsh, inflexible, and grossly regressive" demands in collective bargaining that the NBA knows the union opposes, along with "engaging in classic 'take it or leave it' and surface bargaining intended to delay action on a renewal CBA until the NBA locks out the represented employees in order to coerce them into accepting the NBA's harsh and regressive demands" and even accusing the league of speaking directly with the players (union members) about the CBA and threatening a lockout.

"We have urged the Board to investigate this matter quickly," the NBPA wrote in a statement, "and to seek an injunction against the NBA's unlawful bargaining practices and its unlawful lockout threat."

A person with knowledge of the situation said union executive director Billy Hunter was furious following the most recent collective-bargaining proposal, in early May, when the league called for a $45-million "hard" cap -- almost 25 percent lower than the current "soft" cap -- with non-guaranteed contracts.

The NBA responded by denying the charges by the union. "There is no merit to the charge filed today by the Players Association with the National Labor Relations Board, as we have complied -- and will continue to comply -- with all of our obligations under the federal labor laws. It will not distract us from our efforts to negotiate in good faith a new collective-bargaining agreement with the Players Association."