Without "waiting for a ruling" from the NLRB, the MLBUA
asked a U.S. District Court in Philadelphia "to issue an
injunction blocking" MLB "from letting the umpires go" after
tomorrow's games, according to Murray Chass of the N.Y.
TIMES. The MLBUA "acted" after MLB "rejected a request to
retain" the umpires "pending the outcome" of a union
grievance filed with the American Arbitration Association
last Friday. The NLRB is "expected to rule" on the MLBUA's
unfair labor practice "allegations" before Thursday. MLBUA
attorneys are "expected to argue" at a hearing today in
Philadelphia before Judge Curtis Joyner that the umpires
"will suffer irreparable harm if the leagues are allowed to
accept their resignations." The lawsuit "further contends"
that MLB and its "integrity will suffer harm" (N.Y. TIMES,
8/31). USA TODAY's Hal Bodley notes that the resignations
of the 22 umpires will become "effective" at 12:00am
Wednesday, and home teams Thursday "have lined up
replacements" from the minor leagues, colleges and amateurs
"in case of a union walkout." Bodley adds that baseball
owners are "increasing security at all stadiums" on Thursday
(USA TODAY, 8/31). In L.A., Ross Newhan wrote that legal
experts "expect" the NLRB to "reject" the union's unfair
labor practice claims (L.A. TIMES, 8/29).
CRACK IN THE UNION'S ARMOR? USA TODAY's Hal Bodley
writes that MLB "might listen to an argument to take back
some umps, but not with [MLBUA General Counsel Richie]
Phillips negotiating" (USA TODAY, 8/31). NL umpire Jerry
Crawford in a first-person account in Sunday's N.Y. TIMES:
"There is a right way and a wrong way for baseball to do
what it wants. The right way is to honor the contract, and
to honor the obligation to negotiate in good faith" (N.Y.
TIMES, 8/29). But in his radio commentary on the WinStar
Radio Network, Keith Olbermann has no sympathy: "The umpires
betrayed themselves. ... They failed to pass the first test
of mental health: correctly perceive your own place in the
world around you" (WinStar Radio, 8/30).
