Baseball Players Union In Strong Position As Their Current Collective Bargaining Agreement Expires

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.laborradio.org/node/14147

By Doug Cunningham

As players enter the home stretch for the 2010 season a new major league baseball collective bargaining agreement is on deck. New York Daily News columnist Mitch Lawrence says baseball players are in a stronger position than football or basketball players.

: "The baseball players are in better shape. First of all, they have a stronger union. And I don’t think they’re going to suffer tremendously when t comes to any kind of new agreement, when it comes to money.”

Commissioner Bud Selig says the game’s economic system must be tweaked, so is a salary cap proposal likely?

: “I don’t think you’re ever gonna see that. As long as - you know the union might have changed leadership, - Donald Fehr might be gone is gone – but that’s the type of thing, players are steadfastly against that, the union is against that.”

Lawrence says players also oppose blood testing for human growth hormone.

: “They’ve tried to increase that in terms of the minor leagues. But the minor leaguers are not part of the union.”

[liberal N proud]

1. Here we go again

Sorry, I fully support labor and unions but professional athletes making millions while being bad boys just doesn't get my support.

Not baseball, not football, not basketball, they are all the same.


I have not purchased one ticket to a professional sporting event since the last time baseball went on strike in the 90's.

[Drale]

2. The thing about it is

for the first 90 years of baseball, players where treated horribly and payed next to nothing by the greedy owners. Now maybe the players and the unions have turned the tables and taken advantage of the situation but do you really blame them, would you not do the same in their position?

[flyarm]

3. To understand where the Baseball players came from and are today one must read about Marvin Miller..

and how the Baseball union came about and how baseball players were basically the last legal slaves in their field of expertise in this nation!

There was a monopoly by owners..and still is..they are the last corporations still a monopoly ..Bell Telephone/AT&T was the next to last monopoly, but through a strike The Bells declared financial difficulties and lost their monopoly.

Each Labor stoppage in Baseball, Owners have been asked if they are declaring Financial difficulties , they repeat each time " NO "

As long as Baseball owners have their monopoly , the government can not look into their financial books. That monopoly law was grandfathered into our IRS laws. The owners of Baseball will never give that up! They can float money from their corporations into their Baseball teams and the IRS can not look into their books.

That is how the rich big corporate boys stay so rich..They can claim losses and the IRS can not look into their books and then they pay what ever they want in taxes. It is grandfathered in and the Government can do nothing about it, as long as the owners do not claim Financial difficulties..This is how Anheuser Bush floats money to the Cardinals, How Steinbrenner floated money from his Shipping Empire to the Yankees, and so forth.

Until 1976 Baseball players were legalized slaves to baseball if they wanted to work. Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally sat out a year from the work they loved ..to become the First Free Agents. That meant they could negotiate their own contracts through negotiations..that was not allowed in baseball until 1976 after approx 100 years of the owners controlling the athletes with the athletes having little to say about their pensions, health care, and their contracts. If a player got hurt ..it was tough shit for them. They would not play again and they had zero compensation, or insurance.

The media has never told the American people the truth about How Baseball works. They had no incentive to. The media sat in Boxes in the ball park and ate Lobster & steaks, and flew on team charters, saving their Media Corporations much $$$$$$$$$$$$ for flights for their employees to report on Ball games. Sports was always a big money maker for news outlets.

Read about it and the Wonderful man named Marvin Miller, who was an incredible man who worked hard to protect the Baseball players careers and lives and living conditions!

http://www.sabr.org/cmsFiles/Files/OTL%20Winter%202009.pdf

Before 1969 players had no health insurance nor a pension..think Mickey Mantle, and Roger Maris, Curt Flood, and Yogi Berra,Babe Ruth,Lou Gehrig,Jackie Robinson,Duke Snider and I can list on and on and on..none of those players before 1969 had a pension. Through the Union Marvin Miller built, the players union of Baseball players went back as far as the government allowed and they fought each contract to go back further and further, and picked up the players who played for so little with no insurance nor pension, and with the wisdom and fortitude and leadership of Marvin Miller , many of those former players got a pension for the first time in their lives. many players played in Old Timers games to provide health insurance for players who played without insurance and had ailments from their playing careers..and supplied many of their families with insurance...and helped out the indigent players and their families.

The baseball players should be cheered for fighting so hard to form one of the most successful Unions in this nation!

it was the baseball players and their Union that provided the Football Union with a huge chunk of money when they had their biggest strike..the richest Football players didn't give a crap about the lower paid players..and the Football union didn't have much money to even go on strike...to fight for their rights.

As I type this Donald Fehr In his retirement from the Baseball Union Leadership..is helping the Hockey Players with their union and contract.


Every worker in this country should have representation if they so chose...and if their organize.

Baseball didn't get given anything, they fought for what they have and they were locked out and had work stoppages that players sacrificed for . Players who didn't make the huge salaries they do today!

[ellenfl]

4. and today those union players are all reliably republican . . .

or so it seems.

ellen fl

[flyarm]

5. no they are not. Some are, as in all walks of life .. but most ..not..