Grievance Date Needed

Lawyers for the baseball owners and players will meet with arbitrator Shyam Das in New York today in an attempt to select a hearing date on the union grievance about the owners’ plan to contract two teams before the 2002 season.

Das has given the sides several dates from which to choose, but a management lawyer said it is unlikely a hearing would be held before Thanksgiving. The lawyer added, however, that even if t1751457896 The union maintains that the plan to eliminate two teams--probably the Minnesota Twins and Montreal Expos--violates the collective bargaining agreement, major league rules and all existing 1886151033unilateral right to eliminate the teams but agrees that it must negotiate a dispersal draft and other ramifications with the union.