The MLBPA "officially rejected" the owners' latest offer on
service time yesterday, but MLB chief labor negotiator Randy
Levine "said he thought the sides had 'inched closer' to an
agreement," according to this morning's L.A. TIMES. Ross Newhan
reports negotiations have been put on hold until Monday. While
any compromise on service time was rejected, the union "didn't
entirely close the door" on another proposal that would
restructure the union's option to exercise a second tax-free year
at the end of the deal. Newhan reports, "Sources on both sides
believe that the owners, having placated their hard-liners, will
offer full service time Monday, hoping to get union concessions
on arbitration, the second tax-free year and litigation stemming
from the strike" (L.A. TIMES, 8/23).
AROUND THE HORN: In New York, Murray Chass reports,
"Barring another delay prompted by hard-liners on the owners'
side, negotiators could conclude a deal next week." With service
time "not very likely to bog down" talks again, the "open issues"
are litigation from the strike and three-person arbitration
panels (N.Y. TIMES, 8/23). In DC, Mark Maske writes, "The
negotiations have reached another crossroads." One ownership
source: "The day of reckoning is coming" (WASHINGTON POST,
8/23). USA TODAY's Hal Bodley: "There's a strong possibility
[MLBPA Exec Dir Don] Fehr and Levine will decide finally where
each side stands on all issues Monday" (USA TODAY, 8/23). In
Milwaukee, Tom Haudricourt writes that it's "decision time" for
MLB owners. Their choice: "Kill the deal and risk another
disastrous labor war or trade service time for whatever
concessions they can get." According to Haudricourt, for those
teams losing players to free agency if service time is granted,
"it's a matter of looking at the bigger picture or the smaller
picture." Acting MLB Commissioner Bud Selig's task "is to
convince clubs that a labor deal is more important than any
single issue" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 8/23).
