Owners, Players Arguing Over Contraction

Lawyers for the baseball owners and players’ union met Monday in New York but failed to set a date for an arbitration hearing on the union’s grievance. The union claims that the owners have violated the collective bargaining agreement with their plan to eliminate two teams before the 2002 season.

Don Fehr, the union’s general counsel, said the meeting was aimed at setting up procedures and guidelines for the hearing but added:

“Putting all the legal issues aside, we still haven’t been told which teams they plan to eliminate and we still haven’t received a [formal] proposal [regarding a dispersal draft and other contraction ramifications.]”

The union grievance claims the owners violated nine provisions of the labor contract, four attachments, seven major league rules and all existing player contracts.

It is believed that the owners plan to eliminate the Montreal Expos and Minnesota Twins. A lawyer for the owners told general managers meeting in Chicago last week that they planned to hold a dispersal draft of contracted players by Dec. 15. Fehr said Monday that seemed to be an unrealistic timetable, considering all of the issues--legal and otherwise.