Post by timcordill on Apr 12, 2006 22:28:43 GMT -5
Next time you wonder why you umpire for a $100.00 a day think of these guys!
Association of Minor League Umpires
Update on contract negotiations
February 28th, 2006
We would like to ask you for a few minutes of your time to update you on
The Association of Minor League Umpires (AMLU) and our current negotiations
With Minor League Baseball (MiLB) and Professional Baseball Umpire
Corporation (PBUC).
As some of you may have already heard, our contract and collective
bargaining agreement has expired; and we have been in negotiations with
MiLB/PBUC for the past three months. We are asking for better wages and
living conditions for the umpires of today ‹ and for those who will follow
in our paths. To date, we have not been successful in our attempts to
bargain with MiLB/PBUC. With that being said, the AMLU has made a decision
not to attend spring training this year. We are now in a strike situation
for unfair labor practices and in search for a fair contract.
In a nutshell, minor league umpires have not had a pay raise in over TEN
years. In fact, seven years ago there was actually a DECREASE in pay and a
wage freeze put in place. Five years ago the minor league umpires formed
an association and signed their first contract ever. It was believed to be a
major step in the right direction, but as it turned out, it gave MiLB
almost deity-like power over the umpires. Many AMLU members have said that
"MiLB has pushed us around for five years and has treated us like dirt."
It has come time for things to change, and this is the year for it to
happen.
We are not asking baseball to make minor league umpires rich, but we are
asking them to bring us up to a level that will allow us to follow our
career paths with affordable means. Right now, the wages are not livable.
The top AAA umpires currently make $14,000/season (give or take). Our per
diem is $25/day at the highest level while the government allows for a
MINIMUM of $40/day, with many of the MiLB cities listed closer to $50.
Some of you may be approached either to work games in spring training or
even the regular season, as this has been happening recently in minor
League cities throughout the country. As my fellow brothers on the field,
and also as friends with whom I have had the pleasure of working and getting
to know over the past few years, I would ask that you take our situation
into consideration. MiLB believes that they have a broad pool of talent to
choose from to replace us in spring, and also in the event of a work
stoppage. By agreeing to work in our place, you would be denying us any hope
of leverage in negotiations.
If you have not already read the numerous articles about our situation,
You can visit the AMLU website at www.amlu.org or visit www.umpnews.com and
view some of the articles there. Also, doing a Google search about minor
league umpires and contracts or negotiations will produce a multitude of
results. If, for whatever reason, you can¹t find these articles and would
like to read them, please feel free to contact webmaster@amlu.org.
We hope this information helps and each of you better understand what we
are trying to accomplish and that you will seriously consider standing
behind our effort. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for umpires in
the minor leagues. If we don't make a stand now, MiLB will never have to
take us seriously; we will be pushed around forever.
If anyone has questions, comments, concerns, or any information about
contact that has been made by MLB or MiLB that they would like to share,
we ask you please do not hesitate to get in touch with us or any other Minor
League Umpire that you might know at webmaster@amlu.org
We want to thank you for giving us this venue to air our story. And we
can¹t thank you enough for taking the time to read through this and for any
and all support that you can give.
AMLU Membership
Association of Minor League Umpires
Update on contract negotiations
February 28th, 2006
We would like to ask you for a few minutes of your time to update you on
The Association of Minor League Umpires (AMLU) and our current negotiations
With Minor League Baseball (MiLB) and Professional Baseball Umpire
Corporation (PBUC).
As some of you may have already heard, our contract and collective
bargaining agreement has expired; and we have been in negotiations with
MiLB/PBUC for the past three months. We are asking for better wages and
living conditions for the umpires of today ‹ and for those who will follow
in our paths. To date, we have not been successful in our attempts to
bargain with MiLB/PBUC. With that being said, the AMLU has made a decision
not to attend spring training this year. We are now in a strike situation
for unfair labor practices and in search for a fair contract.
In a nutshell, minor league umpires have not had a pay raise in over TEN
years. In fact, seven years ago there was actually a DECREASE in pay and a
wage freeze put in place. Five years ago the minor league umpires formed
an association and signed their first contract ever. It was believed to be a
major step in the right direction, but as it turned out, it gave MiLB
almost deity-like power over the umpires. Many AMLU members have said that
"MiLB has pushed us around for five years and has treated us like dirt."
It has come time for things to change, and this is the year for it to
happen.
We are not asking baseball to make minor league umpires rich, but we are
asking them to bring us up to a level that will allow us to follow our
career paths with affordable means. Right now, the wages are not livable.
The top AAA umpires currently make $14,000/season (give or take). Our per
diem is $25/day at the highest level while the government allows for a
MINIMUM of $40/day, with many of the MiLB cities listed closer to $50.
Some of you may be approached either to work games in spring training or
even the regular season, as this has been happening recently in minor
League cities throughout the country. As my fellow brothers on the field,
and also as friends with whom I have had the pleasure of working and getting
to know over the past few years, I would ask that you take our situation
into consideration. MiLB believes that they have a broad pool of talent to
choose from to replace us in spring, and also in the event of a work
stoppage. By agreeing to work in our place, you would be denying us any hope
of leverage in negotiations.
If you have not already read the numerous articles about our situation,
You can visit the AMLU website at www.amlu.org or visit www.umpnews.com and
view some of the articles there. Also, doing a Google search about minor
league umpires and contracts or negotiations will produce a multitude of
results. If, for whatever reason, you can¹t find these articles and would
like to read them, please feel free to contact webmaster@amlu.org.
We hope this information helps and each of you better understand what we
are trying to accomplish and that you will seriously consider standing
behind our effort. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for umpires in
the minor leagues. If we don't make a stand now, MiLB will never have to
take us seriously; we will be pushed around forever.
If anyone has questions, comments, concerns, or any information about
contact that has been made by MLB or MiLB that they would like to share,
we ask you please do not hesitate to get in touch with us or any other Minor
League Umpire that you might know at webmaster@amlu.org
We want to thank you for giving us this venue to air our story. And we
can¹t thank you enough for taking the time to read through this and for any
and all support that you can give.
AMLU Membership