Decertification is “not on the table right now”, National Basketball Players Association vice president Maurice Evans told SI.com’s Sam Amick on Wednesday. Decertifying the union has been considered a top option for the players’ union as the NBA lockout drags toward its third month; the NFL’s players’ union decertified early in that league’s labor impasse last spring. The NBA has sued the NBPA in federal court to block what it calls a “sham decertification”, and has also asked for clearance to void all existing player contracts if the union is allowed to dissolve.
NBA Lockout: Union VP Says Decertification ‘Not On The Table’
The NBPA’s strategy has differed from that of the NFLPA, as the basketball union has made a complaint to the National Labor Relations Board its top priority. A ruling from the NLRB on whether the NBA has failed to bargain in good faith is expected in September; that could lead to a complaint from the NLRB itself, which could be attached to an injunction to lift the lockout in what would be a major coup for the union.
But if the NLRB doesn’t lend the union a hand, decertification -- and the associated threat of contract burning -- could be the next step.
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