Major League Baseball Umpires Resignation of 1999

I- Introduction

On July 15th, fifty-seven Major League Baseball Umpires may have made the worst call of their careers. (Lasky, Matthew; FMEW; August 1999) After months of being unable to come to an agreement with Major League Baseball, the umpires decided to hand in their resignations, effective September 2nd. (White, Paul; USA Today; August 1999) Their resignations were a last ditch attempt to get Major League Baseball back to the negotiating table, with the sole purpose of signing a new contract. (Lasky, Matthew; FMEW; August 1999) Since there was a “no strike clause” written into the current contract, the umpires had no other choice but to resign. (Lasky, Matthew; FMEW; August 1999) Major League Baseball, knowing they would face possible lawsuits by the umpires, accepted the resignations and began hiring replacements. (Lasky, Matthew; FMEW; August 1999) Twenty-two umpires were terminated and their positions filled with replacement umpires. … “Some veteran umpires almost immediately changed their minds and reversed their positions, creating a fissure that undermined their negotiating system”. (Chass, Murray; New York Times; July 29, 1999) As a result, the twenty-two terminated umpires sued Major League Baseball, claiming an unfair labor practice as made “for unlawfully discharging” them. (Lasky, Matthew; FMEW; August 1999) The umpires brought their case to the National Labor Relation Board, where it was reviewed for several weeks. (Lasky, Matthew; FMEW; August 1999) The National Labor Relation Board found no evidence that an unfair labor practice had been made, and did not order Major League Baseball to reinstate the twenty-two umpires. (Lasky, Matthew; FMEW; August 1999) This was a victory for Major League Baseball, and “for the first time in Major League Baseball history, it will be the umpires and not the players that strike out.” (Lasky, Matthew; FMEW; August 1999)
II- How Did It All Happen The whole situation began well before July 15th, “a fight

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