The ECHL members of the Professional Hockey Players’ Association authorized a strike to take effect this week, which could keep the Jacksonville Icemen away from the ice.
In a Dec. 22 statement, the PHPA said its ECHL members delivered a strike authorization mandate on Dec. 18 in response to unfair labor practices by the league. The strike notice would take effect on Dec. 26.
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The hockey league has been operating without an active collective bargaining agreement since the previous deal expired in June.
“We have informed the ECHL that we are willing to continue discussions to resolve all outstanding matters,” ECHL executive director Brian Ramsay said in a statement. “For several months, we have been engaged in bargaining with the league, and their unlawful and coercive conduct throughout this process has been incredibly disappointing. We are asking for basic standards around health, safety and working conditions that allow the players to remain healthy, compete at a high level and build sustainable professional careers. Our members have never been more united and remain ready to return to the bargaining table at any time. We sincerely hope the ECHL will engage in good-faith negotiations so a fair agreement can be reached and any disruption to the season can be avoided.”
The union accused the league of making unilateral changes to subjects of bargaining earlier in 2026.
The ECHL proposal
Provisions of the most recent league proposal, posted to the website of the 30-team ECHL, include a 16.4% increase to the salary cap to take effect immediately, requirements for mandatory days off, caps on travel and adjustments to holiday and midseason breaks.
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Under the proposal, teams would have to provide one off day each week, with no more than seven days between off days. In addition, after a period of three games in three days, players would receive a day off immediately thereafter.
“Our goal continues to be reaching an agreement that increases player compensation, improves health and safety, and delivers on new initiatives that are responsive to our players to support them on and off the ice. Our approach will continue to balance the need to best support our players and maintain a sustainable business model that helps ensure the long-term success of our league so it remains affordable and accessible to fans,” the league said on its website.
The PHPA’s response
The players’ association said the economic portion of the proposal fails to keep up with the pace of inflation compared to the prior collective bargaining agreement, which took effect in July 2021.
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In addition, the union cited other issues, including clubs supplying players with used equipment and excessive travel schedules.
“The league shows no concern or regard for players’ travel schedule and has said that the nine-hour bus trip home should be considered our day off. Until a few days ago, the league was not prepared to give us a day off per week, and they refused to negotiate a meaningful holiday break that allows players to be home with our families, which would be consistent with professional hockey in North America,” the PHPA said in a Dec. 22 open letter to fans.
The association also said that it has filed a new unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, stating that the league directly communicated with “inaccurate and inappropriate” statements to players regarding bargaining issues during the past week, rather than negotiating through the PHPA’s committee.
The PHPA reports that it represents more than 1,800 players in both the ECHL and the second-tier American Hockey League.
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How will the strike affect the Jacksonville Icemen?
If negotiations do not rebound and players indeed strike effective Dec. 26, some Icemen games — potentially a significant number, depending on the duration of the work stoppage — would be postponed or drop off the schedule entirely.
The Icemen are scheduled to face the Orlando Solar Bears at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena on Dec. 26; the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on the road on both Dec. 27 and 28; the Solar Bears again in Orlando on Dec. 30; and the Swamp Rabbits in Jacksonville on Jan. 3.
The Icemen are in their ninth year in Jacksonville, beginning play in 2017-18 following the franchise’s relocation from Evansville, Ind.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: ECHL hockey players’ union votes to authorize strike
