#SPORTS | MLB Delays Opening Day Amid Labor Disputes Between the Players’ Union
By Bianca Peralta
After the league and the players’ union failed to reach a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), Major League Baseball (MLB) Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the cancellation of the first week of games in the 2022 regular season in a press conference held last Wednesday.
In the press conference, Manfred said that they “worked hard to avoid an outcome that’s bad for [their] fans, bad for [their] players, and bad for [their] clubs.” He assured fans that their failure to reach an agreement was “not due to a lack of effort by either party.” He then went on to say that he and the league are prepared to continue negotiations with the players.
The announcement came in response to the players unanimously rejecting the owners’ “best” and “final” offer. It reportedly included no changes to the current competitive balance threshold at $230 million and a marginal increase to the players’ salaries and bonus pool. One player representative called the proposal a “slap in the face,” saying that the owners wanted players to lose pay. The MLB Players’ Association (MLBPA) stated that they were “disgusted, but sadly not surprised.”
The labor dispute between MLB and MLBPA began when the league imposed a lockout last December 1 after the previous CBA expired that night without a new deal being agreed upon. The lockout prohibits major league players from using any of MLB’s facilities until a new contract is made, putting more pressure on both the players and the owners to reach an agreement as soon as possible.
With spring training games canceled, MLB announced that if a CBA deal was not made before February 28, the originally scheduled March 31st Opening Day would be delayed. This announcement prompted the owners and players to meet at Jupiter, Florida, for nine consecutive days to hold negotiations.
However, even after conducting 12 sessions in one day, no new deal was agreed upon, resulting in the cancellation of regular-season games due to a labor dispute — the first time since 1995.
Many players have spoken up about the issue, especially on social media. “I want to play, I love our game, but I know we need to get this CBA right,” Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout said.
San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford expressed his discontentment via text: “The last thing we want is to miss games, but we’re also not going to be bullied into an unfair CBA.”
The hashtag #AtTheTable recently went viral on Twitter as players expressed their willingness to negotiate with MLB and the owners as long as they do so in good faith, garnering the support of many baseball fans.
While both sides are currently attempting to negotiate a new deal, the MLBPA has reportedly organized a makeshift training facility in Bell Bank Park, Arizona for players to train during the lockout.
