Baseball Players Union Speaks Out For Uniform Manufacturers Involved In Majestic Labor Dispute

[Omaha Steve]

http://thinkprogress.org/alyssa/2013/05/31/2079831/baseball-players-union-speaks-out-for-uniform-manufacturers-involved-in-majestic-labor-dispute/?mobile=nc

By Travis Waldron on May 31, 2013 at 10:01 am

A fight over health care benefits between unionized workers and management at a factory in Pennsylvania has gotten the attention of Major League Baseball’s players, who are urging the workers to “stick together” against an effort to double health premiums without increasing benefits.

The dispute is centered at a VF Majestic factory in Pennsylvania, where all of Major League Baseball’s jerseys are manufactured, and it set to heat up when a three-year labor agreement expires Friday. The workers, affiliated with the Service Employees International Union, haven’t authorized a strike and are hoping to avoid one as they push back against Majestic in upcoming negotiating sessions. Heading into those negotiations, the workers received advice and support from Michael Weiner, the executive director of the Major League Baseball Player’s Association, the Allentown (PA) Morning Call reports:

“At the end of 2011, our union negotiated a successful new collective bargaining agreement that will expire in December 2016,” wrote Michael Weiner, the Players Association’s executive director and general counsel. “Now is the time for all of you to stick together so that you can achieve your goal as well: a fair contract with good wages, good health care and respect on the job.”

In an interview, Weiner said the players have weighed in on other labor disputes relating to licensed products when they felt it was merited. The union has enjoyed a good relationship with VF Majestic and prefers that the products that bear its players names be made by union workers in the United States.

“We take seriously our role as a union,” he said.

FULL story at link.