NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement

Article 43
Non-Injury Grievance

Section 7(a)
Hearing

(a)

Each arbitrator will designate a minimum of twelve (12) hearing dates per year, exclusive of the period July 1 through September 10 for non-expedited cases, for use by the parties to this Agreement. Upon being appointed, each arbitrator will, after consultation with the Notice Arbitrator, provide to the NFLPA and the Management Council specified hearing dates for such ensuing period, which process will be repeated on a regular basis thereafter. The parties will notify each arbitrator thirty (30) days in advance of which dates the following month are going to be used by the parties. The designated arbitrator will set the hearing on his next reserved date in the Club city unless the parties agree otherwise. If a grievance is set for hearing and the hearing date is then postponed by a party within thirty (30) days of the hearing, the postponement fee of the arbitrator will be borne by the postponing party unless the arbitrator determines that the postponement was for good cause. Should good cause be found, the parties will bear any postponement costs equally. If the arbitrator in question cannot reschedule the hearing within thirty (30) days of the postponed date, the case may be reassigned by the Notice Arbitrator to another panel member who has a hearing date available within the thirty (30) day period. At the hearing, the parties to the grievance and the NFLPA and Management Council will have the right to present, by testimony or otherwise, and subject to Section 5, any evidence relevant to the grievance. All hearings will be transcribed.