Outlook for baseball's CBA appears bright

CLEARWATER, Fla. - With his tousled black hair and his Converse-and-jeans attire and the blue Paper Mate Flair peeking out from his shirt, Michael Weiner looks more like a free-spirited English professor than a hardened labor attorney. In that respect, the 48-year-old executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association could serve as the figurehead for the softened relationship between the athletes he represents and their counterparts in the league office. But while Weiner might not possess the neatly trimmed white hair and freshly pressed suits of predecessor Donald Fehr, he does share a philosophy frequently espoused by the longtime union boss.

When it comes to collective bargaining, prepare for everything.

"Having done this enough times, I learn not to make predictions," said Weiner, who replaced Fehr in December 2009 after spending more than 2 decades working for the MLBPA. He is now one of the key players looking to ensure that a new collective bargaining agreement is in place by the time the current one expires in December. "I know that we are well-prepared for bargaining, as far as having gotten player input. My sense is that the owners have done so as well, they've gotten a lot of input from baseball operations people with the clubs. So I'm looking forward to it."

Although Weiner, who visited Bright House Field earlier this week to brief Phillies players on the collective bargaining process, declined to use the word "optimistic" to describe his outlook on reaching a new agreement, nobody on either side sounds as if they expect a combative process. The rhetoric thus far has been extremely respectful, thanks in large part to the apparent absence of a polarizing issue such as drug testing (a hot-button topic before the 2002 accord) and a salary cap (which helped lead to the 1994 strike). A sport that has seen work stoppages affect nine seasons since 1966 appears to be settling into an unprecedented era of labor peace. The most recent CBA, a 5-year pact consummated in October 2006, was reached without any grave danger of a work stoppage. And all current signs point toward a similar process this time around.

"As of right now, we're preparing for any issue that there could be, just in case it happens," said Phillies backup catcher Brian Schneider, who has been deeply involved with the union since he was a player representative for the Montreal Expos as they explored their move out of Canada. "But the owners are doing great, baseball is doing great, fans are coming, the numbers are up across the board. So it's kind of one of those things where you don't want to screw anything up."

From the players' perspective, "screwing up" would involve the owners' insisting on a salary cap or contraction, two issues that they think would take jobs and money away from athletes.

"At this point, it doesn't seem that either side is trying to make fundamental changes," Weiner said. "Having said that, [White Sox GM] Kenny Williams was quoted this week as saying there should be a salary cap in baseball, and that Jerry Reinsdorf, who is the head of their labor policy committee, feels that way."

Weiner also pointed to two national columnists who raised the issue of contraction in recent analyses.

"Put it this way," Weiner said, "an attempt by owners to contract would change certainly the tenor of the negotiations quite a bit. I've been doing this too long to take anything for granted."

One issue that will definitely occupy part of the negotiations involves expanded playoffs, which owners would like to institute for the 2012 season. The players, meanwhile, could look for assurances that teams that receive revenue-sharing money spend it on payroll, long a point of contention between the union and certain small-market teams.

Other issues that could be addressed: an international draft, changes to the free-agent draft-pick compensation system, realignment and changes to the arbitration system.

One new wrinkle that could be collectively bargained and instituted this season is a 7-day disabled list for players who have suffered concussions, something Weiner said he expects to discuss with the league at some point this month. Also expected to be addressed at some point is the use of smokeless tobacco, the ban of which was recently called for by U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Frank Lautenberg. Whether the owners make a strong push for such a ban remains to be seen, but it would likely be met with resistance from the players (Schneider indicated he would not favor a ban, although he thinks players can do more to limit tobacco's exposure to children).

"The players understand the health risks associated with it," Weiner said. "They also understand it's legal, and that they are adults. There are things that we look forward to talking with the owners about there. We want to do anything we can to minimize the use by players, within reason. We want to do everything we can to try to help educate the public about it. We'll consider any proposal that's made, but we have to consider all those factors."

Weiner expects to meet with the league to begin negotiations this month, with one get-together in Florida and another in Arizona. At this point, the outlook is far sunnier than those hovering over the NFL and NBA. But much more will be known in the coming months. *

For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at www.philly.com/HighCheese. Follow him on Twitter at

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