Fehr Accuses Selig Of Lying About Breaking Off Mlb Labor Talks

Union head Donald Fehr on Tuesday accused acting commissioner Bud Selig of lying to Congress about baseball’s brokenoff bargaining.

“I have been advised that in your lobbying efforts on and off of Capitol Hill, you and other owners have been telling people, particularly members of Congress, that the players’ association is refusing to return to the bargaining table in an attempt to negotiate a resolution of our dispute,” Fehr wrote Selig in a two-page letter.

“As you well know, that is false. The owners walked out, not the players.”

Owners broke off talks Dec. 22 and implemented a salary cap the following day. On Dec. 23, both sides filed unfair labor practice charges against each other with the National Labor Relations Board. The agency expects to decide around Feb. 1 whether to issue complaints.

Management’s negotiating committee is scheduled to meet Thursday in Washington with mediator W.J. Usery. Players have been lobbying Congress to revoke baseball’s antitrust exemption; owners last week urged Congress to preserve the exemption.

Dave Kingman and Rod Carew were the biggest winners in the second award of collusion damages, which totaled $9,708,756.

Kingman was given $829,850 by arbitrator Thomas Roberts for 1987 and Carew was awarded $782,036 for 1986, according to the Jan. 10 decision by Roberts that was obtained by The Associated Press.

Roberts’ latest decisions were for lost jobs in 1986 and 1987, loss of mobility in both years and other damages for 1987, which include emotional distress and licensing money.

Owners were found guilty by Roberts of conspiring against free agents following the 1985 season and by George Nicolau following the 1986 and 1987 seasons. Owners settled the cases for $280 million.