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Major League Baseball players and owners have not met to discuss a new collective bargaining agreement since a “heated” meeting Tuesday, and no meetings are currently scheduled.
However, this afternoon we have news!
Major League Baseball today requested immediate assistance of a federal mediator to help resolve the sport’s lockout, sources told ESPN. Under their request, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service would help assist with the proceedings.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 3, 2022
This is really interesting. The current lockout is MLB’s choice — Commissioner Rob Manfred said it would “jumpstart” negotiations back in November. Obviously, that didn’t happen.
Here is where I point out that federal mediators were called into use during the 1994-95 strike and that didn’t help matters much:
Warning that the major league baseball strike was trying Americans’ patience and imperiling thousands of jobs, President Clinton today threw increased White House power behind efforts to force a mediated settlement.
Mr. Clinton ordered a Federal mediator to bring baseball’s players and owners back to the bargaining table, and he set a Feb. 6 deadline for them to make substantial headway toward ending the strike. Otherwise, he warned, the Government would ask the mediator to propose a solution.
That was in January 1995, when the strike had already cancelled the 1994 World Series. It did little to move things along and eventually, as you know, owners began spring training with replacement players in 1995. Only a ruling by Federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor stating that was illegal finally ended the strike in March 1995.
So while the appointment of a mediator sounds like a good idea, and who knows? Maybe it will be, but I wouldn’t expect any miracles to come out of this, not right away, anyway. Keep this in mind, and Grant always seems to know the right thing to tweet:
FEDERAL MEDIATOR: So you, a literal monopoly that's exempt from antitrust laws, get to restrict the movement and earning power of your youngest employees, and you don't want any changes.
— Grant Brisbee (@GrantBrisbee) February 3, 2022
ROB MANFRED: Yes.
FEDERAL MEDIATOR: Alright, let me see what I can do.
Also, keep this in mind:
That’ll just about do it for spring training. Federal mediation slows any union/management negotiations way down. Gotta wait on the parties, gotta wait on the mediator, gotta wait on the lawyers…covid…etc etc.
— Aaron Shemper (@ShemperFi) February 3, 2022
As always, we await developments.
UPDATE: Here’s a development which does not seem good at all:
Sources: MLB has told the MLBPA it will not make a counter offer after MLB two days ago saying it would.
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 3, 2022
UPDATE 2: Consider the source (generally pro-ownership), but (and see Jon Heyman’s note, matching what I said about mediation not really working in the 1994/95 strike):
The union seems unlikely to accept MLB’s offer today to have federal mediator try to bridge the large gap. The union offered “no comment” but they recall the mediator didn’t solve things in 1994. MLB is frustrated by 2 years of no’s but the union sees this as PR. @JeffPassan 1st
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 3, 2022