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Aug. 30 strike date near certain

Optimism wanes as talks break up with luxury tax still a stumbling block and no meeting scheduled for today.

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer

© St. Petersburg Times
published August 16, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG -- With three days of negotiations apparently leading more to disagreements than an agreement, baseball players are expected to set an Aug. 30 strike date during a conference call this morning.

The union delayed setting a strike date during a meeting Monday after management officials reportedly suggested that a few additional days of negotiating without a looming deadline might lead to more progress.

But with the owners apparently reluctant to move significantly on the key issue of a "luxury tax" on the highest payroll teams, the players believe they have little choice but to set a date for what would be the game's ninth work stoppage in 30 years.

If they do so, Rays player representative John Flaherty said, it will be because they think it will accelerate the process of making a deal.

"I understand people's views about strike dates and strikes and all that," Flaherty said. "The only reason we would set a strike date is if we felt it would help get a deal done.

"It's not because we want to go on strike. ... The setting of a strike date would clearly be to try to get a specific time that we need to get a deal done by. Historically that's when deals get done.

"So if it came to that, that would be the reason. There's no player in here who wants to go on strike, but everybody in here is united that if we had to to get a deal done, we would do it."

Rays manager Hal McRae said he understands why the players might set a strike date today, but he still does not think there will be a significant work stoppage.

"You've got to set a date, you've got to have something to work toward," he said.

"I don't think there will be a strike. ... It won't happen. If it does, it will be short. The pennant races will be decided on the field."

When the union decided to take no formal action Monday, both sides expressed optimism a deal could be reached shortly. But negotiations stalled Wednesday, the sides met only briefly twice Thursday and they didn't schedule a session for today.

"It wasn't good (Thursday)," said Atlanta's Tom Glavine, the National League player representative. "They made another proposal that was fairly meaningless. I think we're basically sitting back waiting for them to give us a serious offer."

Owners originally proposed a 50 percent tax on the portions of payrolls over $98-million, then last weekend increased the threshold to $100-million. Since Monday's meeting, they moved only to $102-million, the Associated Press reported.

The union fears a luxury tax along those lines, when combined with increased revenue sharing, would act as a cap because it would drain large amounts of money from high-revenue teams. Players, not wanting a tax, reluctantly proposed one with a much higher threshold and a much lower rate.

"I've gone from as optimistic as I can be to as pessimistic as I can be," Braves player representative Mike Remlinger said. "It's back to just a flat-out refusal to move."

The owners didn't have much to say. Lead negotiator Rob Manfred did not hold his nightly conference call with reporters and MLB spokesman Rich Levin said only, "We're going to wait and see what happens tomorrow."

"We knew Friday was going to be a big day," Flaherty said, "and it sounds like it probably will be."

-- Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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