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Contraction Q & A
Q: What did baseball owners do Tuesday? A: They voted to eliminate two of the 30 major league teams by the start of next season. Q: Did they announce which teams? A: No. Montreal is considered the leading contender, with Minnesota and Florida given prominent mention among owners. Oakland and Tampa Bay were mentioned as possibilities earlier this year. Q: Why were these the teams mentioned? A: Because they have far less locally generated revenue than large-market teams, who are reluctant to give up more of their money in revenue-sharing to subsidize the operation of small-market franchises. Q: Can owners do this? A: They say they can eliminate teams without approval from the players' association, but conceded they must negotiate the effects of contraction with the union. Q: What was the union's response? A: The players claimed the action was "inconsistent with the law (and) our contract." Q: If the union balks, what are the owners' options? A: They could bargain to impasse over the issue, then attempt to unilaterally impose contraction. Q: What could the union do if that happens? A: The players' association could claim that there wasn't an impasse, file an unfair labor practice and ask the National Labor Relations Board to seek an injunction in federal court that would stop contraction. Those are the steps the union successfully took in 1994-95 to block owners from changing the work rules from their expired labor contract, and the injunction caused players to end their strike after 232 days. Q: What does this mean for the endangered teams? A: Commissioner Bud Selig said they will continue to sign players and sell tickets for next year. Q: What happens to players on the eliminated teams? A: That is subject to negotiations with the union. Q: Does this mean teams could change divisions or leagues next year? A: Yes, but it depends on which teams are eliminated. There has been discussion of moving Arizona, the World Series and National League champion, to the American League West. Q: Has baseball done this before? A: The last time baseball eliminated teams was after the 1899 season, when the National League cut from 12 to eight teams by disbanding franchises in Baltimore, Cleveland, Louisville and Washington.
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