“To our loyal fans,
We would like to keep you informed of the status of our negotiations with the ECHL.
We have been negotiating since January 2025 and have been unable to reach a new collective agreement due to the league’s ongoing unfair labor practices, which have undermined the bargaining process.
The league’s unlawful conduct dates back to the late spring/early summer, when the league made unilateral changes to mandatory bargaining items and began regressive negotiations. This prompted the PHPA to file an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board, hoping to remedy this conduct and restore lawful negotiations.
Unfortunately, this has remained a pattern. During negotiations, the league has pushed back against fundamental issues with player safety and working conditions.
It took almost a year to convince the league that we should have the right to choose helmets that fit us well. There are still clubs that provide members with used equipment. The league shows no concern or consideration for players’ travel schedules and has said the nine-hour bus ride home should be considered our day off. Until a few days ago, the league was unwilling to give us one day off a week, and they refused to negotiate a meaningful holiday break that would allow players to be home with our families, which would be consistent with professional hockey in North America.
These are issues that directly affect the health, safety and ability of players to do their jobs.
Furthermore, the league’s economic proposals so far place the players below where inflation has taken us since the last pre-COVID collective agreement was signed. We have also given the league a two-year extension at no cost to help them recover.
Most concerning, instead of spending time negotiating with our bargaining committee this week, the league sent at least two direct communications to players through team management regarding negotiation-related matters in an effort to bully and intimidate players with tactics that violate U.S. labor law. This communication bypassed the players’ bargaining representative and contained statements that were inaccurate and inappropriate. As a result, the PHPA has filed another unfair labor practice charge with the NLRB, addressing the league’s direct dealings with bargaining unit members and its coercive conduct.
Many players have shared that they feel disrespected, undervalued and taken for granted.
After reviewing the league’s most recent response, there has been no significant movement toward a fair resolution to date.
By their behavior, the ECHL appears to favor bullying over negotiation and respects neither the process nor the players’ right to negotiate a fair settlement.
With gratitude and respect,
ECHL players.”
Just a few hours later, the PHPA announced that the players had officially voted to go on strike starting Friday.
“The Professional Hockey Players’ Association today announced that its ECHL membership has filed a strike notice effective December 26, 2025, following a strike authorization mandate issued on December 18, 2025.
As a result of the league’s ongoing unfair labor practices, the PHPA’s ECHL members are forced to take this step to protect the integrity of the bargaining process.”
PHPA Executive Director Brian Ramsay released the following statement:
“We have informed the ECHL that we are willing to continue discussions to resolve all outstanding issues. For several months we have been engaged in negotiations with the league, and their unlawful and coercive behavior during this process is incredibly disappointing. We are asking for basic health, safety and working conditions standards that will allow the players to stay 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 negotiating table at any time. We sincerely hope that the ECHL will engage in good faith negotiations so that a fair agreement can be reached and any disruption to the season can be avoided.”
We here at PHN have also reached out to several players in the ECHL, though obviously none of them were willing to officially go. The sentiment was clear. The players find these demands simple and if things don’t change, they are absolutely willing to go on strike for as long as necessary.
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