Marvin Miller asks veteran's committee to remove his name from ballot

Yisman · May 22, 2008

He says the committee is rigged not to recognize the contributions of the Player's Union.

"Paradoxically, I'm writing to thank you and your associates for your part in nominating me for Hall of Fame consideration, and, at the same time, to ask that you not do this again"

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serv...2.WBbaseball20080522141441/WBStory/WBbaseball

Yisman · May 22, 2008

reminds me a little of Harry Carson demanding that his name be removed.

Dierking · May 22, 2008

I volunteer to take his spot. Least I could do.

jonnyd · May 22, 2008

who the fuck is marvin miller

Yisman · May 22, 2008

jonnyd said: ↑

who the fuck is marvin miller
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he changed the game a ton. Read some, jonny boy. :wink:

Baseball was never the same after the way Miller built up the union.

Docny1975 · May 23, 2008

jonnyd said: ↑

who the fuck is marvin miller
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Same thing I said. And after reading about him I say who the hell cares about him. I dont think anyone besides players or coaches should be in the HOF anyway. Possibly a owner but he would have to be special.

(born April 14, 1917) is the former executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) from 1966 ? 1982. Under Miller's direction, the players' union was transformed into one of the strongest unions in the United States. In 1992, the Hall of Fame broadcaster Red Barber said, "Marvin Miller, along with Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson, is one of the two or three most important men in baseball history."[1]

Miller, a labor economist, was born in The Bronx, New York City. He first started at the National War Labor Relations Board, and then moved on to the Machinist Union and the United Auto Workers. Finally, he worked his way up the United Steelworkers union to become its leading economist and negotiator. In the spring of 1966, Miller visited Spring Training camps in an effort to get selected as executive director of the MLBPA. He closely followed the joint holdout of Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. He was elected head of the MLBPA in 1966.

Miller negotiated MLBPA's first collective bargaining agreement with the team owners in 1968. That agreement increased the minimum salary from $6,000 to $10,000, the first increase in two decades. In 1970, Miller was able to get arbitration included in the collective bargaining agreement. Arbitration meant that disputes would be taken to an independent arbitrator to resolve the dispute. Previously disputes were taken to the Commissioner - hired by the owners - who generally ruled in favor of the owners. Miller considered arbitration the greatest achievement of the early years of the baseball union.

In 1974, Miller used arbitration to resolve a dispute when Oakland A's owner Charlie Finley failed make an annuity payment as required by Catfish Hunter's contract. The arbitrator ruled that Finley had not met the terms of the contract so Hunter was free to negotiate a new contract with any team - making Hunter a free agent. When Hunter signed a 5-year, $3.5 million contract with the Yankees, the players saw the amount of money that could be made when players were free to negotiate with any team.

Baseball's reserve clause tied players to a team for one year beyond the end of an existing contract, which in practice froze any player's ability to determine his own career. In 1974, Miller encouraged Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally to play out the succeeding year without signing a contract. After the year had elapsed, both players filed a grievance arbitration. The ensuing Seitz decision declared that both players had fulfilled their contractual obligations and had no further legal ties to their ballclubs. This effectively eradicated the reserve clause and ushered in free agency.

As an economist, Miller understood that too many free agents could actually drive down player salaries. Miller agreed to limit free agency to players with more than six years of service, knowing that restricting the supply of labor would drive up salaries as owners bid for an annual, finite pool of free agents.

Miller led the union through three strikes, the first in 1972 which lasted 13 days, in 1980 spring training, and again in 1981 which lasted 50 days, and two lockouts, in 1973 spring training and 1976 spring training. During Miller's era as leader of the Major League Baseball Players' Association (1966-1982), the average players' salary rose from $19,000 to $241,000 a year.
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courtesy of wiki

Marvin Miller asks veteran's committee to remove his name from ballot

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