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Whatz That Blue,
I am in the union and I'm not sure what part of my comments can be met with some skepticism but either way...
To reply to your comments one at a time, I'm glad that you can appreciate the need for a salary increase being that the Milb umpires haven't received one in over ten years. How do you suggest that we ask for a raise? That's a great thing about this country. Is that some times in this country not all people are appreciated for their work and they have the right to advocate for themselves. I would hope as a citizen in this great country you should encourage that. Instead of just rolling over and complaining about it. We went to MiLB and said we believe that our salaries need to be adjusted with the current economy. We are not asking to get rich, we just want them up with todays standards. And MiLB said word for word, " Its not that we don't have the money to pay you, we do, it's that we don't want to pay you." As an umpire yourself, I'm sure you don't let yourself get pushed around by any one, a coach, a player, or even an employer who doesn't respect your services. As for the "Apprentice" comment. I truly believe that we can not be considered apprentices. I would like to know any other profession that you stick to apprentices together and say, go learn your craft. In most, if not all professions, apprentices are paired up with journey men or seasoned professionals and taught their craft. Now moving on to the managers... We as umpires could care less if managers or coaches jump levels. It makes no difference to us! I don't understand where that comes from. What we were concerned with was once they would cross the line and we would get rid of them, is that we were being told to keep them in the game when they should have been ejected. We don't always feel safe at our jobs. A fellow co-worker was telling of a time this year when they were threatened to be raped with a bat after the game. Obviously this guy had already been ejected. As a matter of fact this was the 6th or 7th time that he had been ejected that season. The player was indeed waiting for them by their van (with a bat) and started trying to stir things up. they reported all of this to the league and he was fined $25! No suspension. No support from the league for them. Nothing! These are some of the things we are trying to get worked out. Some of the leagues aren't dealing with administrative problems. We don't want to walk out. We want to work. But we also know when we need to put our foot down and stand up for whatÂ’s right. I do respect your point of veiw and appreciate the feedback. In my position I just disagree.
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