Players: NBA is “making harsh, inflexible, and grossly regressive 'takeaway' demands”

The NBA players union has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board contending that the NBA is conducting in unfair labor practices.

In particular, the complaint says that the NBA is making harsh, inflexible, and grossly regressive 'takeaway' demands that the NBA knows are not acceptable to the Union.

The players are asking for the NLRB to stop the NBA from instituting a player lockout when the current collective bargaining agreement ends on June 30.

The NBA and the players are currently in the midst of negotiating a new deal, however, the two parties appears to be far apart on a deal.

In response to the complaint, the NBA made the following statement:

There is no merit to the charge filed today by the Players Association with the National Labor Relations Board, as we have complied -- and will continue to comply -- with all of our obligations under the federal labor laws. It will not distract us from our efforts to negotiate in good faith a new collective bargaining agreement with the Players Association.

The owners are seeking a re-structuring of the deal and Commission David Stern has said the league will lose $300 million this year.

The players have rejected the owner's recent offer, which contributed to issuing the complaint with the NLRB.