Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 17, 1990 TAG: 9003172352
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
The parties have not met since March 7 and talks broke down last week over arbitration. The union is demanding that half the players with between two and three years of major league service be made eligible.
According to a source with knowledge of the new plan, Friday's proposal offered no change from the current agreement, which requires three years for arbitration eligibility.
Nevertheless, players union head Donald Fehr said he agreed to resume negotiations Friday night. Fehr, without confirming the proposals' details, said it "represents movement in some areas."
Fehr said he would discuss the proposal in more detail after the bargaining session, scheduled to start in Commissioner Fay Vincent's office at 9:15 p.m. EST.
"There are things remaining open that have to be discussed," Fehr said.
When asked about the chances of a settlement Friday night, Fehr said "Greater than zero."
Previously, the union has said they would not make a deal without some movement on arbitration.
In the new plan, owners offered to increase the minimum salary to $100,000, $5,000 less than the union is asking for. The minor-league minimum would increase to $25,000.
The owners also proposed:
The yearly contribution by teams to the union's benefit plan would be $55 million, $2 million less than the union is requesting.
A $4 million bonus pool, which had been presented by the owners as a way to solve the arbitration issue, was withdrawn in the new proposal.
The proposal calls for rosters to return to 25 players in 1991, the same as last week's proposal. It was not clear if it addressed when the regular season would start.
Rob Manfred, a lawyer for management's Player Relations Committee, took the new plan to the union's office mid Friday afternoon and it was studied by the players.
The full executive board of the union is scheduled to meet today.
As the owners' lockout went through its 30th day, the American and National League held off on their announcements about what to do with opening day, still scheduled for April 2.
Both sides have said in the past that they believe three weeks of training are needed before the season can start. That makes it too late for games to go on as scheduled, even if an agreement were immediately reached.
The sides have not met across a bargaining table since March 7, when the sides rejected each others proposals. Management presented its $4 million bonus pool for players with between two and three years of major league service, and the union asked that only half those players be made eligible for salary arbitration, a step back from its earlier demand that all those players be made eligible again.
Vincent said the lockout would end if the union pledged not to strike during the season, a move the union immediately rejected.
In the week since, the dispute has taken on a bitter tone, with union lawyer Eugene Orza calling owners "gangsters" and accusing management of an orchestrated public relations campaign.
Kansas City owner Ewing Kauffman said that he may prefer that no games be played. Houston owner John McMullen, a member of the six-owner PRC, criticized the union leadership, as did New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.
by CNB