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Batter Up: Labor Secretary Marty Walsh - The Savior of the MLB Season?


As some readers might have heard, Major League Baseball (“MLB”) owners locked out players back in December following the end of the collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union.

Following the lockout, talks on a new collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union was slow going with both sides really not engaging in discussions of any kind until a few weeks ago.  However those talks have been slow going with both sides digging in their heels and really not ceding much ground.  MLB owners recently suggested using a mediator to try and bridge the gap between both sides.  However the players’ union denied that request and indicated it would not agree to attending mediation.

As a result, the scheduled start of spring training (the end of this month) is perilously close to being pushed back, perhaps indefinitely.

That brings us to Labor Secretary Marty Walsh offering to get involved and suggesting he would be willing to try and help MLB owners and the players’ union find some middle ground and resolve the labor dispute.  There is some precedent to prior Labor Secretaries getting involved in labor disputes.  With that being said, as of this writing, neither side has indicated they want the Labor Secretary to step in here and try and help bridge the gap between the parties.  It will be interesting to see how the lockout plays out, including whether the Labor Secretary has any role in resolving the labor dispute.


For additional information:  https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/marty-walsh-offers-to-help-resolve-mlb-lockout/2637839/?amp

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