CALGARY — Western Hockey League clubs and their parent league colluded to deny their players employee status and fair pay, lawyers in a potential class action suit for the athletes claimed in a Calgary court Wednesday. In arguing for the right to proceed with a $180-million class action suit, lawyer Steven Barrett said the clubs and the Canadian Hockey League “conspired with each other to ensure the players weren’t properly classified” as employees or paid as employees. “It’s common to all the players, flowing from the league,” Barrett said. Charney Lawyers, the firm fighting the case, says they have more than 400 former and current major junior hockey players registered as interested in forming a class action. Previous litigation suggests the CHL’s players should be considered employees and not student amateurs as claimed by the league, Barrett said Wednesday.

Source: National Post February 09, 2017 05:48 UTC