Baseball Offers to Rehire Some Former Umps

As part of collective bargaining negotiations with the new umpires union, baseball has offered to rehire some of the 22 umpires who were let go last September.

Management, however, is finding those negotiations no less contentious with the new union than it often did with the Richie Phillips-led old union, leaving the fate of the 22 among four key issues that remain unresolved after two dozen negotiating sessions over the last three months.

“As a practical matter in the larger context of negotiating a new bargaining agreement, we’ve discussed the possibility of accommodating the 22 [through a combination of jobs and termination pay], but we have not received a serious response,” Sandy Alderson, the executive vice-president of baseball operations, said by phone Tuesday.

“At this point, we haven’t seen much flexibility, and there are no new meetings scheduled.”

The previous bargaining agreement expired Dec. 31, with the sides agreeing that there will be no strike or lockout through July 14. If either intends to stage a work stoppage, it must give two weeks’ notice by June 30.

The new union, the World Umpires Assn., was formed in opposition to Phillips, counsel to the old Major League Umpires Assn., after his failed and controversial labor strategy resulted in baseball accepting the resignation of 22 umpires.

The 22 are attempting to regain their jobs through an arbitration hearing that is expected to conclude by June 30, with a decision 60 days later. In its proposed settlement with some of the 22, baseball has asked the new union to share in the costs of that settlement, according to sources.

However, American League umpire Joe Brinkman, vice president of the new union, said baseball is basically attempting to crush the 22, cutting off medical, pension and severance pay for “guys who have given 25 years of their life to baseball.”

Joe West, a former National League umpire who is one of the umpires seeking reemployment, was reached by phone and said he has seen nothing in writing regarding management’s proposal “but unless all are rehired or receive some form of compensation, it won’t ever be considered.”

Although there were deep divisions among those umpires who supported Phillips and those who favored a new union, West said the new union would welcome the 22 back.

“Why not?” he said. “It would allow for five-man crews and floating relief so that the regular umpires wouldn’t be overworked and baseball wouldn’t always be going to the minors to bring up inexperienced replacements. A week or so ago there were 40 new umpires working in the two leagues. I mean, [the rehiring of the 22] shouldn’t be a matter of economics. They’re paying utility infielders $1 million and more. Unfortunately, baseball is simply trying to take advantage of the new union. It’s all about control. Who says what and does what.”

In addition to a stalemate over the fate of the former umpires, baseball and the new union are in disagreement over pay (the union wants about 25% more than NBA officials receive), management’s refusal to include a “just cause” clause relating to the disciplining of umpires, and the attempt by baseball to include what West and Brinkman referred to as a “gag rule” that would limit what the umpires could say publicly and to whom.

“We couldn’t talk about baseball, our personal life, anything,” Brinkman said. “That’s going a little far. We’re still in the United States, where we have freedom of speech. They want to muzzle us completely. You have to be able to give your side of the story. I mean, I couldn’t be talking to you now if that rule was in place.”

Sources said the new union would agree to such a rule only if management agreed never to criticize them. Of course, that would still leave the players free to criticize both.

“Consistent with other sports, we don’t want umpires engaging in the same sort of mudslinging and petty criticism that sometimes others in the game engage in,” Alderson said. “We think it’s demeaning to them.”

Similar rhetoric and disagreements have characterized almost all of the industry’s labor negotiations, whether with umpires or players.

If many in management thought it would be easier this time without the contentious Phillips involved, it hasn’t happened.

Said Brinkman: “We want to work with them, but they came in with a preconceived idea of everything they wanted to do, and there’s been no listening to our side.”