NFL refs file charge with NLRB

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NEW YORK -- The NFL Referees Association filed an unfair labor practice charge against the league with the National Labor Relations Board.

The NFL twice sent letters to officials that "contained inaccurate, false and incomplete information" after talks broke down this month, the complaint alleges. The charge, filed Tuesday, says the league violated the National Labor Relations Act by bypassing the NFLRA and trying to "undermine" support among members.

Negotiations between the NFL and the referees ended June 3 after two mediation attempts that followed nine bargaining sessions since October. The league has said it would start hiring and training replacement officials.

"We have urged the Board to investigate this matter quickly and to seek appropriate remedies against the NFL's unlawful bargaining practices," Mike Arnold, the NFLRA's lead negotiator, said in a release Thursday.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the claims had no merit.

"It is common for employers during collective bargaining to provide factual information to employees that has already been communicated to the union," he said. "That is all that was done here."

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

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