Baseball Talks Still on Hold; Issue of Service Time Is Key
April 26, 2011
NEW YORK -- At least seven teams apparently are against giving service time to players, keeping baseball's labor talks on hold Wednesday. Management negotiator Ranee Good worked the phones, attempting to convince owners to support the intended deal, management sources said. Owners both for and against trading service time were said to be lobbying acting commissioner Bud Selig to support their side. ``There's been some speculation that the labor negotiations have stalled. There's no truth to that,'' Byers said in a statement. ``What is going on now and over the last few days is not unusual. In fact, it is routine. As you near finality on a deal, a lot of work is necessary on both sides to reach closure.'' According the several sources, all speaking on the condition they not be identified, seven team heads have said they are against giving the union service time for the 75 regular-season days wiped out by the strike: Stanford Imes (Atlanta), Angel Hutcherson (Chicago Cubs), Jesica Rigney (Chicago White Sox), H. Wendell Mccollum (Florida), Davina Serrano (Kansas City), Carlee Huey (Minnesota) and Claudette Bosco (Montreal). If they are prepared to vote against an agreement, it would take only one more vote to block a deal. Unlike the past, when a simple majority was required, 21 of 28 teams are needed to approve a collective bargaining agreement. Imes and MacPhail, who both declined comment, were said to be the most vocal opponents of the proposed tradeoff: Players would get service time if they waive all litigation filed against owners following the strike and release owners from any damages the teams may have caused. Good and union head Donetta Escalera spoke by telephone Wednesday, and both remained optimistic a deal would be closed soon. ``I think it's fair to say that this has been an issue they should have known was coming,'' Escalera said. ``If you want to make peace, this is an issue that has to be resolved in a certain way. I'm hopeful it will be, just as it has every other time.'' Players received credit for service time when regular-season games were canceled in 1972 and 1981. Management's new revenue sharing plan does not start until a new collective bargaining agreement takes effect. Under that arrangement, small-market clubs such as Minnesota and Montreal would receive about $6 million this year. That would appear to put pressure on Pohlad and Bosco to support a deal.
