Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
December 18, 2003
Union Busting

It's my opinion that the MLBPA is the greatest labor union the world has ever seen. Most labor unions set up systems that insure the continued employment of their least talented workers, while limiting the advancement of their most talented. The MLBPA has done just the opposite. They set up parameters for salary growth and negotiation, but how much you make depends in great part on how well you perform. They protect players rights extremely well, make sure they have generous benefits and proper legal counsel. It should be the model for how all unions operate.

Until now.

The union is blocking the A-Rod for Manny deal.

Rob Manfred, baseball's top labor lawyer, challenged the union's interpretation.

"The basic agreement contains a rule that requires any special covenant to be an actual or potential benefit to the player," Manfred said. "In a situation like the current situation, where there was a restructuring, where the player was getting something and the club was getting something, Gene Orza is not the final arbitrator on whether the restructuring provides an actual or potential benefit to the player. The commissioner currently is considering his legal options in consultation with the two teams."

While no one detailed the agreement between Rodriguez and the Red Sox, Boston president Larry Lucchino said the union proposed "radical changes."

The agreement called for some salary to be reduced and some to be deferred in exchange for giving Rodriguez the right to become a free agent earlier in the deal, a high-ranking baseball official said on the condition of anonymity.

Currently, Rodriguez can end the contract after the 2007 season. He also can end it after 2008 or 2009 unless he gets an annual increase from $27 million to either $32 million or $1 million above the largest salary of any position player.

"It is a sad day when the players' association thwarts the will of its members," Lucchino said. "The players' association asserts that it supports individual negotiations, freedom of choice and player mobility. However, in this high-profile instance, their action contradicts this and is contrary to the desires of the player. We appreciate the flexibility and determination Alex and Cynthia Rodriguez have shown in their effort to move to Boston and the Red Sox."

That's not the way Orza saw it.

"The principle involved is a transcendent one, affecting all of Alex's fellow players," he said. "To his credit, Alex, from the outset, recognized this."


Gordon Edes in the Boston Globe has the real money quote from Orza.

"The issue continues to be the essential difference between restructuring and reducing," Orza said when reached by phone last night. "We don't authorize reducing, we authorize restructuring. There has to be some added value to the player."

In other words, you can only renegotiate contracts up. A player (like Frank Thomas) can bitch and moan about his long term contract being too small, and that's just fine. But if a highly overpaid player is willing to take a pay cut to play where he wants to play, that's taboo.

What is the union thinking? That teams are just going to start tearing up contracts and forcing players to take less money? They don't need to do that, since no one has signed an outrageous contract since Jason Giambi. Look what Tejada got, look what Sheffield got, look what Vlad is not getting! The market has changed. This deal is a great example of what player/owner relations should be; everyone working together for the good of each other. The union stepping in like this will just continue the rancor between owners and players.

And they've gotten the fans hopping mad, also. Boston Dirt Dogs is trying to organize a rally against the union for today at 11:30 (it says PM on their site, but they really mean AM) in NY at the MLBPA headquarters. They also list Gene Orza's office number, fax number and e-mail if you would like to make your opinion known on the deal. I would encourage every baseball fan in the NY area to go, including Yankees fans. The union has overstepped its bounds today, and they need to know the fans care.

I had a lot of respect for Fehr, Orza and their colleagues. A lot of that went out the window today.


Posted by David Pinto at 07:16 AM | Trades | TrackBack (3)
Comments

Terrific piece, David.

Posted by: Art Martone at December 18, 2003 08:30 AM

Very well put; I've sent an email this morning.

I don't think any of this will change their minds, at least not in this particular case. However, it might make the union a little more cognizent of fan desires and desires of individual players.

I wonder if there's any potential in organizing a baseball fan's union, to be involved in collective bargaining and the like...

Posted by: John Y. at December 18, 2003 09:02 AM

I would like to see the fans and players involved in the selection of the commissioner, and I put forward a voting system for that over a year ago. Right now, we can only vote with out feet.

Posted by: David Pinto at December 18, 2003 09:15 AM

Excellent comments David. The Union has overstepped it's boundaries here.

On one point I understand about negotiating contracts downward that could be trendsetting, but as you mentioned, this is far, far from that.

If a player of A-Rod's caliber is willing to do so and restructure, he should be allowed to do so. You would think Orca and the MLBPA would realize as well that fans would actually respect that move more, thereby helping the image of the game. What they are doing is the exact opposite, sickening even more fans.

To make a long rant short, some people would start to think ok, here's a guy where even though he's still making a ton of money, he is willing to take a pay cut to play. This will at least add some luster back to the "Love of the Game" theory that fans like myself hope still exists. And, as you mentioned, a perception that relations between clubs and players are starting to grow warm and fuzzy. That things CAN be worked out when people sit down and talk.

Orca needs to be emailed by as many people as can do so, and I do hope that people show up and protest, I will be there in spirit. Upon the conclusion of this post, I'm heading over to express my displeasure with his interpretations. I encourage everyone else to do so as well.

Yes, I did mean to call him Orca.

Posted by: Tom F. at December 18, 2003 09:56 AM

As bad as a commissioner as Selig is, as greedy as the owners and players seem to be I think it is the MLBPA that has had more to do with the problems in baseball than any other group.

Posted by: John Gibson at December 18, 2003 10:06 AM

Excellent post!

You go, protect A-Rod from the union he's supporting this morning!

A-Rod's disagreement with your position sort of undercuts it, don't you think?

Posted by: 16 at December 18, 2003 10:12 AM

I'm sure what A-Rod thinks and what he says are two distinct / different things. I've never seen a player as PC as he is. If the deal doesn't go through at his next press conference I'm sure we'll here him say that he always wanted to remain a Ranger that the only reason he was considering going to Boston was to help out his buddy Tom Hicks and the Rangers etc... As far as I'm concerned A-Rod is like most politicians - one cannot believe a word he says.

Posted by: John Gibson at December 18, 2003 10:29 AM

A-Rod, Jeter and Tiger Woods are all examples of intentionally boring PC people. They know how much $$$ their good name is worth and they aren't about to rock the boat to jepoardize it.

I guarantee you A-Rod would rather play in Boston than Texas.

Posted by: steve at December 18, 2003 02:01 PM

What's A-Rod supposed to do, diss the Union? Than he'll never be traded. Orza's an idiot. Get him out of there. He's ruining baseball. Both sides want this deal to be done and they both have agreed on a fair deal.

Posted by: Ryan at December 19, 2003 09:46 PM