Umpires Ratify New Agreement

Major league umpires voted 40-2 to approve their new collective bargaining agreement.

Umpires who are members of the new union, the World Umpires Association, participated in the mail ballot, and 42 of 44 eligible members voted, WUA lawyer Larry Gibson said.

There are about 90 major league umpires, but many did not join the new union and remain loyal to Richie Phillips’ Major League Umpires Association. Nevertheless, the deal covers all major league umps.

The union’s executive board and team owners must also approve the agreement, which calls for umpires’ pay to rise from $95,000 to $282,500 in 1999 to $104,704 to $324,545 this year, depending on seniority.

*

George Christopher, the former San Francisco mayor who persuaded the New York Giants to move to the West Coast, died of a stroke at San Francisco. He was 92.

Christopher was served in office from 1956-64. His tenure was highlighted when he convinced the New York Giants to move to San Francisco after the 1957 season. He was also instrumental in getting Candlestick Park built amid the chilly, swirling winds along the San Francisco Bay.