Umpires threaten to resign, form corporation

Umpires Threaten to Resign, Form Corporation

Bold stance comes after worsening relations with baseball, players

New York, July 16, 1999 -- With their competence called into question by players, teams and the media, the Major League Baseball umpires union voted to resign en masse effective September 2nd, leaving the last month of the season and the entire playoff period without veteran umpires. The decision, made during a meeting in Philadelphia, forces baseball to risk less experienced umpiring during the most crucial part of the year.

The action was taken while the umpires remain under a collective bargaining agreement, a deal which contains a no-strike clause. According to USA Today, the umpires are paid between $75,000-$250,000 per season. That agreement concludes after the World Series. Instead of waiting, the union is taking a risk by terminating their employment as a mean to show their value. Also, if they do so, the umpires can collect a total of $15.5 million in severance pay. Individual umpires with 20 years experience could get up to $400,000.

Umpires Incorporate

The 57 of the 68 umpires at the meeting also signed on as part of a corporation called Umpires Inc., an organization created by Richie Phillips, the union's general counsel. The firm will provide umpiring services in the nature of an independent contractor so baseball would contract with the firm to use the same umpires who have resigned. The goal is to have this entity control the managment of the umpires, rather than the management of baseball.

It is questionable whether baseball commissioner Bud Selig will accept these terms. He may very well call the union's bluff. Major League Baseball can hire minor league and amateur umpires, which presumably would be less experienced to handle the pressure of calling games during a World Series, but would jump at the chance to do so.

In the court of public opinion, umpires have had their share of hits in recent years. Inconsistent strike zones, abusive comments and bumping incidents against players and managers during disputed calls have tarnished the image of umpires as sterling, virtuous knights guarding the sacred rules of the game.

If the baseball personnel accept the risk of some poor calls, they can let the umpires stew in their juices. The recently-created union of minor league umpires agreed to support their major league counterparts, but that is meaningless. As the NFL players know from their 1987 experiences, replacements may jump at the chance to work in the big leagues.

Update

New York, August 5, 1999 -- The MLBUA filed "unfair labor practice charges" with the National Labor Relations Board against MLB, asking the NLRB to prevent baseball management from accepting the resignation of 22 umpires. The filing claims that that MLB "ignored" their Collective Bargaining Agreement with the umpires union in taking such action. It also argues that MLB failed to bargain in good faith (as required by the labor laws) and therefore engaging in a campaign to undermined the union.