Baseball Negotiations Break Off

Baseball talks broke off today when union chief Donald Fehr left town and said the players’ side will not return to the bargaining table until the clubs make new proposals.

Fehr was to travel to Phoenix for a meeting of the union’s executive board on Tuesday. He said he probably will meet with players in as many as three other cities before returning to New York.

The sides were scheduled to meet today, the 12th day of the spring training lockout. Although there was no session, Fehr said, “there have been a bunch of telephone conversations.”

The talks between the union and owners have stalemated over the issue of salary arbitration eligibility. The union wants players to be eligible for arbitration after two years, as they were before the 1985 agreement increased the requirement to three years.

When asked what it would take for the union to return to negotiations, Fehr said, “It has to take an indication from the clubs that there’s something meaningful to talk about.

“We have not broken through the logjam of the three-year salary arbitration problem. There have been no new proposals on the benefit plan, no new proposals on the minimum salary, no new proposals on roster size.”

Both sides say a minimum of three weeks of spring training is needed plus several days for players to travel to camps. Fehr said the timing threatens the scheduled start of the season on April 2.

“I think it’s been in jeopardy for some days now,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s gone, but it’s in some jeopardy.”

Fehr has said for some time that he needs to update players on the situation.

“My expectation is that after the Phoenix meeting, the great likelihood is that I will see players in two or three other places before coming back to New York.”

Fehr said he had not heard any criticism from players about the union’s stand on the arbitration eligibility issue.

“I have yet to have a player call me up and tell me we should be doing anything differently from the way we are,” he said.

The first signs of a split among the players appeared today, when several Pittsburgh Pirates were quoted as saying they disagree with the union leadership.

“We feel it’s going to be awful tough for the owners to give back that year, so if it’s the only thing holding this back, why not go ahead and agree?” pitcher Bob Kipper was quoted as saying in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“I have mixed emotions,” pitcher Neal Heaton said. “Basically, it’s for the younger players. I’m kind of leaning toward ‘Let’s sign.’ This is getting ridiculous. I’m ready to go.”

“I’m 20 days short of having two years in, so it would benefit me,” shortstop Jay Bell said. “But if that’s the only holdup, if that’s the only issue we’re squabbling over, I don’t think it’s that big an issue.”

Fehr said he spoke on the telephone Sunday with Commissioner Fay Vincent and Chuck O’Connor, management’s chief negotiator, but said it was “nothing much.”

“Some ‘How you doings?’ ‘Got any ideas?’ ‘Nope.’ ‘None,’ stuff,” Fehr said.

“Somebody called me this morning and asked if I had any bright ideas,” Fehr said earlier, without identifying the caller. “I said, ‘No.’ ”