After the season is canceled, the next step in the lockout process is the owners' declaration of an impasse. They will claim the players are not bargaining in good faith and the impasse entitles the owners to impose their own work rules. (See also entries for "Decertification," "Implementation" and "Scabs.")
Bargaining impasse occurs when the two sides negotiating an agreement are unable to reach agreement and become deadlocked. Impasse is almost invariably mutually harmful, either as a result of direct action which may be taken such as a strike in employment negotiation or sanctions/military action in international relations, or simply due to the resulting delay in negotiating a mutually beneficial agreement.