Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 17, 1995 TAG: 9503170036
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Players will decide today whether or not they want to bring a union to the East Coast Hockey League next season.
The players are expected to approve the Professional Hockey Players Association as their sole negotiating representative.
The National Labor Relations Board has scheduled a vote at 5 p.m. today in 10 ECHL cities. Players for the Roanoke Express and the Charlotte Checkers will cast ballots before their 7:30 game at the Roanoke Civic Center. An NLRB representative will be in Roanoke to supervise the vote.
The proposal needs a simple majority to win approval, but few ECHL observers feel the vote will be that close.
``It's going to go,'' said Richard Evans, the PHPA's director of legal and business affairs. ``We're very, very confident.''
The presence of a union could cause major changes in the way clubs deal with players. Although Evans would not speculate on any issues the PHPA might bring to the attention of owners should the union be approved, the players are expected to ask for the league's salary cap to be raised from its current level of $6,000 per team per week. ECHL players are paid an average of nearly $350 per week.
Other items that could be negotiated include the raising of road per diems (players get $18 a day in meal money when they play on the road), extending insurance benefits and abolishing the rule that states teams can carry only three players with three or more years of professional hockey experience.
Results of today's voting will be released Wednesday.
``After that, it will be just a matter of beginning collective bargaining with the ECHL owners,'' Evans said. ``The players will be a very big part of that.''
WANTED MAN: Express goalie Daniel Berthiaume, whose league-record 13-game winning streak was snapped Tuesday with a 4-1 loss at Hampton Roads, turned down another offer to leave Roanoke this week when he spurned the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League.
Berthiaume, who turned down an offer to join the International Hockey League's Chicago Wolves last week, reiterated his desire to stay with the Express through the playoffs.
``I don't want any more offers this season,'' said Berthiaume, who has a 15-2-1 record since joining the Express. ``I appreciate them, but I want to stay here and help this team win a championship. Next year, if I work hard, maybe I can get to the IHL.''
TONIGHT'S GAME: The Express begins the final weekend of the regular season tonight against Charlotte at 7:30.
Roanoke, which is seeking its 40th victory of the season, leads the East Division by four points over second-place Richmond, which plays at Hampton Roads tonight. The Renegades, who play three of their four remaining games on the road, visit Roanoke on Saturday.
Tonight's game is being televised in the Charlotte, N.C., area.
by CNB