Feb. 17, 2011
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(CSNAP) -- The NFL and the NFLPA took a step towards a new Collective Bargaining Agreement Thursday, when they agreed to enter seven straight days of negotiations, following a week without communication, according to a ProFootballTalk.com source.
The current CBA is set to expire March 4, at which time a lockout is expected if an agreement has not been reached.
The league source indicated the week of talks will commence Friday, Feb. 18.
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The two sides also agreed Thursday to use The Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service during negotiations. The an independent U.S. government agency will oversee talks in Washington beginning Friday.After holding separate discussions with representatives from the league and the union, FMCS director George H. Cohen said both sides agreed to have the agency mediate. Mediation is not binding."Any time that both sides of negotiations can get together, whether through conventional means of bargaining or mediation, to come to an agreement that can benefit all parties, it is a good thing," NFLPA president Kevin Mawae told The Associated Press in an e-mail.Negotiations broke down last week, leading to the cancellation of one planned session. The players are expecting the owners to lock them out if the CBA expires on March 3 without a new agreement.