(NFL)PA PREZ SMITH FACES LABOR TALKS

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04252009/sports/moresports/nflpa_prez_smith_faces_labor_talks_166117.htm

By DAN MARTIN

Last updated: 2:51 am
April 25, 2009
Posted: 2:19 am
April 25, 2009

The NFL Draft begins today, and as names of potential stars are tossed around, few people will be more important to whether those players stay on the field than DeMaurice Smith, the Washington, D.C., attorney who recently became the president of the NFLPA.

Smith's job, taking over for the late Gene Upshaw, won't be an easy one, especially with the threat of labor unrest in the near future.

It largely will be up to Smith and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to figure out a way to extend the collective bargaining agreement, which is set to expire at the end of the 2010 season after the league's owners voted last year to opt out of the agreement.

Smith said he believes the two sides will be able to hammer out a new deal.

"I'm confident that we will," Smith said during a press conference in Midtown yesterday. "But at the same time, we need financial transparency."

Smith also has to come up with a deal for himself, since he hasn't signed a contract with the union yet -- despite being on the job for over a month. He wouldn't get into specifics, but said, "I'm not going anywhere."

FULL story at link.