MiLB umps turn down tentative agreement

It's back to square one for Minor League Baseball and the umpiring union.

The Association of Minor League Umpires (AMLU) turned down the tentative agreement with the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation (PBUC) in a membership-wide vote on Sunday, leaving the future of the regular umpires returning to work in doubt.

"Minor League Baseball will continue with replacements," management lawyer George Yund told the Associated Press. "No further negotiations are scheduled or contemplated."

On Thursday night, after two straight days of of mediation, the Professional Baseball Umpire Corporation (PBUC) and the leadership of the Association of Minor League Umpires (AMLU), the umpiring union, had reached a tentative six-year agreement.

There was initial optimism that the deal would pass and that the umpires would return to work on or before May 8. But according to a member of the AMLU who did not wish to be identified, the vote wasn't even a close one, with close to 80 percent of the union's membership voting to turn it down.

According to the umpire, the offer was almost precisely the one the PBUC made back in March. The dissatisfaction with that initial offer is a main reason why the AMLU went on strike to start the season. That offer provided for an increase in the umpires' per diem -- one of the main issues along with salary -- starting with a one-dollar improvement this year to $26 per day, up to $40 at the conclusion of the six-year contract.

The latest offer, said the umpire, bumped the increase in this first year to $27, but topped out at $39 at the back end of the agreement. No additional salary increases were offered.

According to the umpire, there were some good incentives offered, such as raising the mileage rate to IRS levels for A-ball and rookie-level umpires, who drive their own cars during the season, though that was in the January 31 offer sent to the AMLU.

There was also a provision that stated salaries wouldn't hit a ceiling as they had in the past. If an umpire is at Double-A or Triple-A for several years, raises will continue, rather than stopping after a certain amount of service time. To this umpire, however, this is akin to a Minor League player breaking a career Minor League record.

"Who does that help?" he asked. "No one wants to be [at one level] for years and years."

The main question, if the offer was seemed to be so unfair, is why the AMLU committee brought the recommendation from federal mediator Lou Manchise back to its membership in the first place. It may have to do with the union's bylaws, whereby they are required to bring any offer on the table -- offically recommended by the committee -- back to its membership for a full vote.p> "That's something I asked 100 times," the umpire said. "We haven't had anything to vote on for a time. They wanted to let us vote on something."

With no further negotiations planned at this time, it's unclear what could happen to break this deadlock. But it does appear like the situation could get worse before it gets better.

"I can see both sides of it. We're not a revenue-producing organization," the umpire said. "But I'd almost say I'm depressed. I want to go back to work. I've been looking for a landscaping job. I'll do that if I have to."