FORT MYERS, Fla. — The head of the players association, Michael Weiner, and his staff, made their annual visit to the Red Sox clubhouse at City of Palms Park on Monday, preparing the players for an upcoming year of bargaining.
While the National Football League is embroiled in a headline-grabbing bargaining session that threatens to wipe away portions of preseason or maybe more, and the National Basketball Association moves toward one that could be even more contentious, baseball’s final year before its current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires contains no expectations of such drama.
“You look at some of the other sports right now, management has come with something that was in particular impacting,” Weiner said. “I don’t see that here. There’s a broad range of issues both sides are going to want to bargain over and that’s healthy. … I don’t think there’s a particular issue that will stand out over the others.”
The baseball players association has taken note of what is happening in other sports. Weiner believes that while there might be some similarities, it is important that those involved in baseball’s CBA discussion focus on prior baseball CBA discussions and not what occurs in other sports.
“Baseball players support football players and basketball players,” he said. “Baseball players understand that each sport has its own history and I think our guys take their cues more from how baseball players have handled labor relations. On the owners’ side, there is some cross-ownership. I would hope that baseball owners approach our bargaining with an understanding of a history of our bargaining relationship.
“Sometimes you are victims of your history. I think we are all beneficiaries of our history [in baseball] … The biggest difference is a mutual respect, a respect for the process.”
That’s not to say there are no issues to iron out. In one early meeting (Weiner said that the last time a CBA was up for debate the two sides did not get together until the season started) between union reps and Major League Baseball’s owners there was “substantive” talks on many issues and questions raised by several players.
Among those issues, and Weiner’s comments
On a recent meeting with the head of the umpire’s union, the contents of which Weiner could not discuss: “It was our idea, that it could only be helpful to have the lines of communication … it was our idea but it was immediately well-received.”
On revenue sharing
“The idea behind revenue sharing is to allow all the teams to compete. The revenue model in baseball is you put a competitive team on the field and you develop local revenue. You can’t live off the national TV contract. That will be an issue in bargaining. It’s been an issue to a certain extent in implementing our contract over the last few years. We’ve got a lot of ideas to bring to the table, and I expect the owners will as well.
On any possibilities of contraction
“We have not been given any indication that there’s going to be contraction. History tells us that introducing contraction to bargaining would radically change the tenor of the discussions. There are a lot of things we should be talking about … this game does not need contraction.”
On concussions and how they are being addressed
“We have medical experts that we rely upon to help us with those things. We’re working with the commissioner’s office to try to develop the appropriate diagnostic protocols, treatment protocols, even talking with them about potential rule changes that would allow for more flexibility in treatment of concussions. Player safety is an important part of what we do. Concussions are not as much of a fundamental essential problem as they are in other sports, but Josh [Beckett], Jason Bay, Justin Morneau, Corey Koskie, Ryan Church. There have been a number of them and we, and the owners, we all share a view that we do the best for the guys.
Among the potential rule changes would be changes to the disabled list process for concussion victims.
