NEW YORK — The National Basketball Players Association will officially become a union again today when the NBA recognizes it as the official bargaining unit for the locked-out NBA players.
Once that happens, the lawyers for the union and the league office can get down to the business of negotiating the so-called B-issues in the collective bargaining agreement (player discipline, draft rules, work conditions, etc.) and trying to put the deal into writing in less than a week in order to facilitate the opening of training camps and free agency on Dec. 9.
The union collected more than 300 signatures over the past 72 hours authorizing the reformation of their organization after the NBPA filed a disclaimer of interest that essentially turned it into a trade association.
Those signatures were submitted to the American Arbitration Association, which certified them Thursday night to clear the way for the final step that is expected to happen this morning — the NBA’s official recognition of the union as the players’ bargaining representative.