Catherwood LibraryILR School

A negotiation deadline of January 31st has been extended through to February 12th by the Major League Soccer (MLS) organization and the players' union . Without an extension, practices for the major league teams would be forced to halt until an agreement was reached, meaning that a number of teams might be obliged to cancel various tournament and event appearances over the next month. Both management and the players' collective bargaining team are hopeful that an agreement can be reached before Feb. 12th, saying that although there are still some disagreements, enough progress has been made that it makes sense to continue negotiations. If an agreement cannot be reached by the deadline, practices will be forced to stop, and a work stoppage is likely. Public statements are being kept to a minimum during negotiations, but it appears that neither side is particularly eager for a work stoppage.