The Major League Umpires Association was a

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

for the

umpires An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

of both the

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is one of two leagues that make up Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western League, a minor league ...

and the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

. It was formed in 1970. It was superseded by the

World Umpires Association The Major League Baseball Umpires Association (MLBUA) is an organization of Major League Baseball (MLB) umpires. It was certified by the National Labor Relations Board on February 24, 2000, as the World Umpires Association (WUA) as a bargaining a ...

(now the Major League Baseball Umpires Association)) which became the bargaining agent for MLB umpires before the 2000 season.

History

After a one-day strike by the umpires during the 1970 playoffs (the first games of both the ALCS and NLCS), the union was recognized by both the National and American League presidents. It then proceeded to win several pay raises for the umpires. Richie Phillips became general counsel and executive director of the MLUA in 1978. The umpires went on strike again in 1979, making many realize that the game was quite different without the umpires. The MLUA was asking for a package of $520,000 in raises for the 52 umpires. Technically, rather than going on strike, the umpires just did not return their contracts to

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

. Several people made comments about the replacement umpires, including

Phil Niekro Philip Henry Niekro ( ; April 1, 1939 – December 26, 2020), nicknamed "Knucksie", was an American baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball, 20 of them with the Milwaukee / Atlanta Braves. Niekro's 318 career victor ...

, who said: They can be rattled. They don't know how much to take from the players. On May 1, 1980,

Bill Madlock Bill "Mad Dog" Madlock, Jr. (born January 12, 1951) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a third baseman from 1973 to 1987. Madlock is notable for being a four-time National League b ...

, of the Pittsburgh Pirates, had an argument with umpire

Jerry Crawford Gerald Joseph Crawford (born August 13, 1947) is a former umpire in Major League Baseball. He first umpired in the National League from 1977 to 1999, then worked in both major leagues from 2000 to 2010. Career He was a crew chief from 1998 thr ...

. He was fined $5,000 and suspended for fifteen days, but he had not served his suspension nor paid his fine by June 3, because of appeals to both the National League president, and the

Commissioner of Baseball The Commissioner of Baseball is the chief executive officer of Major League Baseball (MLB) and the associated Minor League Baseball (MiLB) – a constellation of leagues and clubs known as "organized baseball". Under the direction of the Commiss ...

. Because of that, Phillips threatened to have the umpires eject Madlock from games, if he did not serve his suspension. That threat raised an uproar, with comments from the NL president, the vice-president of the umpires association, and the vice-president of the Pirates. In 1999, Phillips advocated a strategy of mass resignations in hopes of forcing negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. The strategy backfired when

"called their bluff" and accepted most of the resignations, promoting replacement umpires from the minor leagues. Both Phillips, and twenty-two of his umpires were out of jobs. The umpires, led by

John Hirschbeck John Francis Hirschbeck (born September 7, 1954) is a former umpire for Major League Baseball. He worked in the American League from 1984 to 1999 and worked in both leagues from 2000 to 2016. He was a crew chief at the time of his retirement, and ...

, later voted 57 to 35 to decertify the union, replacing it with the

led by Hirschbeck. The failed attempt has been cited as an example of

groupthink Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within a group of people in which the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome. Cohesiveness, or the desire for cohesiveness ...

in the sports world.

References

{{reflist, 2 + Baseball organizations Trade unions established in 1970 Trade unions disestablished in 1999

History

See also

References