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Originally Posted by Clint Lawson
We have not refused to work these games. We are ready to go to work tomorrow. We don't have a labor contract. We have tried to settle this since October. MiLB is the ones holding this up. Would you go to work without a contract.
Clint Lawson
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I respect your position, but millions of people work without contracts. In fact, the majority of work done in this world is performed by laborers without guarantees.
The irony of this situation is not lost on many of us. Umpires are supposed to act in the best interest of the game. No one promised a path to the Show. I've written it before; your union continues to call replacement umpires 'scabs'. It seems fitting to tag the AMLU gang as 'apprentices' or 'students' then.
No one promises a musician, artist or tradesman that they will make it big. They recieve peanuts for performing their masterpieces. There aren't very many professions that reward mediocrity without the benefits of a union.
Consider those in the armed forces; many joined with dreams of wearing a star or two or three on their hat some day. They recieve the same pay that guys did ten years ago and get treated pretty poorly. They receive training in return for their investment. Oh, many have families to support and bills to pay too. These young men and women are making a sacrifice in hopes of a better job at the end of their commitment. PBUC is very similar - you are thrown in the trenches and asked not only to survive but to perform exemplary. In time, you will get noticed, promoted and move up the chain. The average time is seven years - you either make it or break it. Seven years isn't a career and many guys never make it out of A ball.
I do wish you luck in finding games that weren't previously assigned to others (I know you would never accept those assignments). I don't know you, but wished that you would have listened to some of us that walked there before you. Yes, the conditions are tough but the dream is now gone. You will probably be the best trained amateur umpire in your area next year. Andy and his brass will still be wondering what happened. This was really a sad tale - you should have taken the small increase and realized that many of us never even received your salary. Pride should have taken a back seat when the other guy is holding a Royal Flush. Good luck with the future and I hope that you understand that very few of us wanted this to happen.