BASEBALL OWNERS RATIFY LABOR PACT : DEAL DETAILS.Byline: Ronald Blum Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. And now, back to the game. Back to pitching, hitting, running and catching. Surely, that beats strikes, suits and salary caps. Baseball's four long years of labor strife ended Tuesday when owners dramatically reversed course and ratified the same collective-bargaining agreement they rejected just three weeks ago. Worn out by the most bitter battle in the history of professional sports The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please [ improve this article] or discuss the issue on the talk page. , one that wiped out the World Series for the first time in 90 years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time owners approved a contract that ensures labor peace through 2000 and possibly 2001. It also ushers in a new era that includes interleague play Interleague play is the term used to describe regular season Major League Baseball games played between teams in different leagues, introduced in 1997. Before the 1997 season, teams in the American League and National League did not meet during the regular season. and revenue sharing revenue sharing Funding arrangement in which one government unit grants a portion of its tax income to another government unit. For example, provinces or states may share revenue with local governments, or national governments may share revenue with provinces or states. for small-market teams. ``A long and winding road Winding Road is a digital automotive magazine owned by Absolute Multimedia, Inc., of Austin, Texas, which also publishes 'The Absolute Sound' and 'The Perfect Vision.'. It focuses on enthusiast-oriented vehicles along with news covering industry buzz, upcoming events, and more. has come to an end,'' acting commissioner Bud Selig Allan Huber "Bud" Selig, Jr. (born July 30, 1934 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is the Commissioner of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was previously the team owner and administrator of the Milwaukee Brewers. said. ``Baseball fans can finally look forward to five years of uninterrupted play. We can now work together to bring peace to the game. This very difficult and painful process is now behind us.'' Approval came exactly one week after Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are a professional baseball team based in Chicago, Illinois. The White Sox are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the White Sox have played in U.S. owner Jerry Reinsdorf  This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling.You can assist by [ editing it] now. shattered baseball's salary structure by signing Albert Belle Those sentiments were largely behind the 26-4 vote - three more than the three-fourths majority required - that ratified the agreement. Owners rejected the deal 18-12 on Nov. 6, but Selig decided to call another meeting within hours after Belle's signing. During a meeting that lasted only a little more than two hours, 14 teams changed their votes after an appeal from Selig, who refused to take a position three weeks ago. ``If anybody was for the deal because of what happened with Belle, I didn't hear it.,'' said Reinsdorf, one of the four votes against the deal. San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. Padres president Larry Lucchino and Mets president Fred Wilpon criticized Reinsdorf during the meeting, according to one participant who spoke on the condition he not be identified. Lucchino, according to the source, said the White Sox owner had led teams astray with his hard-line stance. Cleveland, Kansas City and Oakland also voted against the five-year contract, which is retroactive to 1996 and runs through 2000. Players have the option of extending the agreement through 2001. Players and owners had battled since Dec. 7, 1992, when teams voted to reopen the previous labor contract. The sides took their fight to Congress, the courts and even the White House. But with the eighth work stoppage since 1972, baseball alienated many of its longtime fans - some of whom still haven't come back. The 232-day strike that began Aug. 12, 1994, wiped out the last 7-1/2 weeks of the 1994 regular season and the first 3-1/2 weeks of the 1995 schedule. The strike was costly to both sides. Attendance has dropped 15 percent from pre-strike levels, players lost more than $350 million in salaries, and owners have taken an $800 million hit over a three-year span. Union head Donald Fehr said Tuesday's vote was only the first step in the rebuilding process. ``Much work remains to be done,'' he said in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . ``With the conclusion of these negotiations, the dark cloud that has been hanging over the sport for far too long will dissipate.'' Teams forced out commissioner Fay Vincent in preparation for their attempt to gain a salary cap and reverse more than two decades of player gains, which caused the average salary to rise from $29,000 in 1970 to nearly $1.2 million before the strike. Now that a labor deal is approved, Selig said the process of hiring a full-time commissioner will begin sometime in the next few months. San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California that currently play in the National League West Division. New York Giants history Early days and the John McGraw era owner Peter Magowan said some teams decided a deal they didn't like was better than no deal at all. An attempt to gain more concessions likely would have provoked another work stoppage. ``We wish we would have gotten a better system, but you're not going to conquer the world in one negotiation,'' Philadelphia Phillies owner Bill Giles said. On the field, the most revolutionary aspect is the start of interleague play for the first time since professional major leagues formed in 1871. It begins June 12, when the four NL West teams play the four AL West teams, and the other divisions start the next day. Teams will play 15 or 16 interleague games next year, depending on their division. Final approval from players is expected next week when the union's executive board meets at Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , lawyers will start to formalize the outline agreed to Oct. 24 by Fehr and management negotiator Randy Levine. The central provisions of the agreement are a luxury tax covering the 1997, 1998 and 1999 seasons, designed to slow the payroll rise among large-market teams; and revenue sharing, which will shift at least $70 million a year from the large markets to the small markets in both 1996 and 1997. Up to five teams will pay a 35 percent tax on the amount of their payrolls over $51 million next season and $55 million in 1998. In 1999, they will pay a 34 percent tax on the amount over $58.9 million, and in 2000 the tax will disappear - a provision that many hard-liners sought to eliminate. The final proposal was far from what the owners had sought in their initial proposal 29 months ago - a salary cap that would have limited payrolls to about $44 million per team in '96. Some of the highlights of the new collective bargaining agreement The contractual agreement between an employer and a Labor Union that governs wages, hours, and working conditions for employees and which can be enforced against both the employer and the union for failure to comply with its terms. that was ratified by baseball owners. Players also must approve the deal. Expiration date Expiration Date The day on which an options or futures contract is no longer valid and, therefore, ceases to exist. Notes: The expiration date for all listed stock options in the U.S. : Oct. 31, 2000. Players can extend the deal to Oct. 31, 2001. Luxury tax: Teams will be taxed on the portion of their payrolls that exceed the league threshold. Year Tax rate (percent) Payroll threshold (in millions) 1997 35 $51 1998 35 $55 1999 34 $58.9 2000 No tax 2001 No tax Payroll tax Payroll Tax Tax an employer withholds and/or pays on behalf of their employees based on the wage or salary of the employee. In most countries, including the U.S., both state and federal authorities collect some form of payroll tax. : Players pay a tax of 2.5 percent of their salaries in 1996 and 1997. Minimum salary: Year Salary 1997 $150,000 1998 $170,000 1999 $200,000 2000 $200,000 2001 $200,000 Plus cost-of-living adjustment if option isn't exercised Service time: Players will receive credit for major-league service for regular-season days canceled by the strike. Players on major-league rosters during the entire strike will receive an additional 75 days, up to the maximum of 172 days per season. Interleague play: Interleague play begins this season, with each team playing 15 or 16 interleague games. The designated hitter will be used in American League ballparks. The interleague play agreement is for 1997 only. CAPTION(S): Photo, Chart Photo: Acting commissioner Bud Selig announces the five-year labor agrement that will usher in interleague play and revenue sharing. Associated Press Chart: (color) DEAL DETAILS (see text) |
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