Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 12, 1995 TAG: 9504120069
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
``It's a possibility. The discussion has come up,'' Bob Opalka, an associate of umpires' union head Richie Phillips, said Tuesday.
The picketing, not yet approved by the umpires' executive council, would be informational and not intended to stop people from entering stadiums.
Exhibition games for the regular major-league players begin Thursday, and the rescheduled opening day is set for April 25. Picketing at regular-season games remains a possibility if there's no settlement, Opalka said.
A collection of former major- and minor-league umpires, along with college and high school umpires, called exhibition games held with replacement players earlier this spring. A similar group of ex-pros and amateurs would likely handle the upcoming games; no active minor-league umpires were asked to fill in.
Phillips and management negotiator Robert Kheel spoke Monday, but did not set a date for further negotiations. Umpires have been locked out since Jan.1, and the sides have made little progress since then despite talks almost weekly.``I don't know of anything that's planned in the way of further negotiations before Thursday, at the earliest,'' Opalka said.
``At this point, I don't see any way the regular umpires could be back in place for the start of the exhibition games,'' Opalka said. ``From the umpires' standpoint, I think they'd like to get in a couple of games before the regular season, but we're just in a wait-and-see situation.''
The start of the regular season was postponed about three weeks after the players' strike ended March 31. Umpires hoped that agreement would help spur a settlement in their dispute, but they were rebuffed in talks with Kheel last week, and instead told that owners thought the replacement umpires had done a good job.
Umpires originally asked for a 60 percent pay raise during a four-year period, up from their base salaries ranging from $60,000-$175,000. They also sought to double their postseason pool, about $20,000 per umpire in many cases, because of the increase in games under the expanded playoff format.
Owners offered a yearly cost-of-living increase to match inflation, which was 2.7 percent last year. Umpires later lowered their proposal to a 53 percent increase.
The umpires' contract expired Dec. 31. They continued to get paid after the players struck on Aug. 12.
Keywords:
BASEBALL
by CNB