Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 8, 1990 TAG: 9003081647
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
The union, which had been demanding a rollback to two years, made its change following two meetings with the owners Wednesday.
"They indicated they would think about it and call us back tomorrow," Fehr said at a news conference early this morning. "We asked them to look at it long and hard.
"If this is not enough, then Don Fehr at least is out of ideas."
The union proposed a minimum salary of $105,000, $15,000 more than the owners are offering, and the yearly contribution to the benefit plan of $57 million, $7 million more than the owners had offered.
Players, including pitchers Orel Hershiser and Danny Jackson, said this was a last-ditch effort to saving Opening Day games scheduled for April 2. Players at the news conference were somber, and some said they were not optimistic that owners would accept it.
Management negotiator Chuck O'Connor said, "My feeling is that the prospects of that concept being accepted in its present form are slim to none. . . . It's not good."
O'Connor said he would present the proposal to the owners' Player Relations Committee today.
Owners want to keep arbitration eligibility at three years; players had previously wanted it rolled back to two years, the way it was before the 1985 agreement.
The lockout finished its third week on Wednesday.
"It is not a fight of our making," Fehr said. "There has been, over the last few weeks, progress in the non-critical areas."
The union proposed that players with 2-3 years in the majors be ranked by time of service. The top half would be made eligible for arbitration; the bottom half wouldn't.
"What we did over the last 24-36 hours was review all the outstanding issues to see if there was a way to bring this unfortunate episode to the close," Fehr said. "It's no secret if this is not solved in a day or two you will not have an Opening Day."
Earlier Wednesday, owners offered to create a bonus pool of about $4 million for two-year players as a way of breaking the stalemate on salary arbitration, but sources familiar with the union's thinking said it would be rejected.
The bonus pool idea, according to a management source, was a way of giving money to two-year players without bending on the arbitration issue.
Management's bonus pool would be distributed on the basis of statistics agreed to by both sides, such as games started, plate appearances and, perhaps, total bases. The pool idea was brought up earlier in the negotiations and reintroduced on Wednesday.
The sources familiar with the union's thinking, who spoke on the condition they not be identified, said the proposal would be rejected because the union believes it would not be enough of a help to players with between two and three years of major-league service. The union estimates the salaries of the 2-3-year group would increase by between $8-10 million if they were made eligible for arbitration.
The union also objects to the bonus-pool concept because it is a step toward management's earlier pay-for-performance proposal, which calls for fixed salaries for young players.
Wednesday's negotiating session, the 31st since talks began Nov. 28, followed a 6 1/2-hour session the previous day that stretched into Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday, owners offered to restore rosters to 25 players beginning in 1991, increased their offer on minimum salary by $5,000 to $90,000 and increased their benefit contribution offer from an average of $44.86 million to $50 million a year.
They angered the union by proposing elimination of the 20 percent maximum salary-cut rule for players in arbitration, by withdrawing a plan that would have minor leaguers go through reverse waivers before they could return to the majors, and by proposing that the minor-league salary minimum be lowered from its traditional value of one-third of the big-league low.
by CNB