The issue of revenue sharing had the attention of baseball's labor negotiators yesterday. They spent virtually their entire meeting, lasting about three hours, discussing revenue sharing in relation to the use of additional money from Major League Baseball's central fund.þþÿThey told us they were trying to get themselves organized to make a responsive proposal, and to do that they needed to understand some things,ÿ said Rob Manfred, the clubs' chief labor lawyer.þþThe clubs, which want to share 50 percent of their local revenue, initially proposed the establishment of a $100 million commissioner's discretionary fund. Earlier this month, the negotiators lowered the proposed fund to $85 million.þþThe union initially proposed that $30 million be taken from the central fund and used for ÿsupplemental sharing.ÿ It later raised that figure to $40 million. Neither side changed its proposal or its bargaining position yesterday. þþUnder the clubs' plan, the commissioner would use money from the fund to help low-revenue clubs with even more money than they would get from revenue sharing. The commissioner would allot the money as he saw fit. The union has balked at allowing the commissioner to have so much money to use at his discretion.þþThe union has not provided the clubs' negotiators with specifics as to how its proposed $40 million would be raised or distributed other than saying it would come from the central fund, which includes money from the national television package and licensing. þþThe talks are scheduled to continue today with a discussion on the respective proposals on the amateur draft, which both sides are prepared to make worldwide.þþþ
Source: NY Times
