Shortly after the USFL finished their inaugural season we started hearing that the players may be working towards unionizing. This is due to the efforts that the United Football Players Association had been doing in the background. Since then we’ve heard a lot about the United Steelworkers jumping in the mix to help get a deal past the finish line.
Last month the USFL put out an official release announcing that the league had reached a tentative agreement with the United Steelworkers.
The USFL and The United Steelworkers reach agreement pic.twitter.com/tMXw37lpG6
— USFL (@USFL) December 15, 2022
After the news broke we learned that the vote to ratify the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) would take place in early January, and now we have a date.
UFPA executive, Ryan Cave, announced that the vote is set to take place January 9th, which is just a couple of days away.
#USFL CBA Ratification vote will be on Monday Jan 9th. Stay tuned!!!! #unionstrong
— Ryan Cave (@IAMBIGCAVE) January 7, 2023
If you haven’t been following the news, here’s a rundown of what the players are voting for.
In regards to player compensation, we’re seeing a nice boost. Active players will go from $4,500 per week to $5,350, which is nearly a 19% increase. Inactive players will go up to $2,500 per week, up from %1,500/week (66.6% increase).
The league is still planning to house all players in their respective hubs for training camp. After which all players will receive $400/week in housing stipend.
Looking towards the USFL Championship, players on the winning side will pull in an extra $5,000.
Now, here’s where things get interesting. We’re seeing a slight adjustment to roster sizes as the deal progresses.
For the first year of the CBA (USFL Season 2), the roster size stays at 50 (40 active/10 inactive). But, for the second year of the CBA (USFL Season 3) the makeup changes to 42 active and 8 inactive.
Training camp is set to begin in mid-March, with Season 2 officially kicking off on April 15th, 2023.
In addition to the CBA, the league is also throwing in $26,000 worth of benefits outside of this deal. This includes retirements, per diem, traning camp housing and the education program which we saw them roll out last year. As a quick refresher, education Strayer/Capella provides players and staff tuition-free coursework online through Capella University or online and in-person at Strayer University, giving them the flexibility to pursue associate, bachelor’s or master’s degrees in business, healthcare, IT and education, among others.
What are your thoughts on the USFL CBA? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
