Players seek injuction to prevent lockout

The National Basketball Players Association filed a complaint today against the NBA with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging the league has "consistently engaged in unfair labor practices" during the current collective bargaining negotiations. It could result in an injunction preventing the owners from locking out the players when the collective bargaining agreement ends June 30.

In its filling with the NLRB, the players' union charged the league with failing to bargain in good faith, demanding financial givebacks from existing contracts, bypassing the union to deal directly with the players and threatening a lockout

The league responded in a statement: "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."

The league, in its most recent proposal for a new CBA, would like to impose a hard salary cap and a 40-percent rollback on contracts over the next three seasons, according to recent news reports. The players have not offered a counter-proposal. At present, players earn about 60 percent of all revenues in the NBA. The owners would like the ratio to reversed, with players receiving 40 percent.