1960s Topps MLB Union fighting

[ALBB]

wow, that's pretty cool...Im thinking with the blank spot for yrs, length of contract and money.... those figures would be filled in a bit higher for Nolan Ryan,Pete Rose, etc..

[JustinD]

All I have seen are at the standard 75 across the board, but it's possible.

I can't find Ryan or an 80s rose, but there is a 71 rose contract online and its the same 75 that sy berger did for years.

It wasn't until the late 90s that players started really trying for more. I think that most players see them as a business card that builds their fan base and make the real money on appearances and memorabilia

[Exhibitman]

Basically, Miller went to Berger to renegotiate, Berger said "you have no muscle", so Miller convinced the players not to sign with Topps, and Berger called back and said "I see your muscle, let's talk."

Read Miller's autobiography; absolutely fascinating look at the business behind the game, and some choice smack talking about Bowie Kuhn, Charlie O, and some of the other characters in management.

[swabie2424]

Also read “Mint Condition” by Jamieson. Whole chapter devoted to this.

The key here is Marvin Miller battled Topps for several reasons. Yeah, he got the players some extra money and made a progressive and visionary deal to make the union self funding, which was important as it had little/no resources. He also got language into the contract that gave the union rights to bargain all collective deals for the players, but the biggest thing was he proved to the players the union could get things done for them. He gained their trust in the process. Remember he came from steelworkers union with an economics background and was a relative outsider. This deal built the foundation for him to gain the juice to take on the league on major issues (obviously free agency being one of the biggest.) It’s an absolute master class in trade unionism. Miller remains a huge hero to those of in the labor world.

[ALBB]

I found it interesting that during this era..being a player rep was a bit of a dangerous job...Owners and Mgmnt hated you

You'd had better be a pretty good player or a respected veteran - I saw names like Torre, Bunning, McCarver, R.Roberts, ...and even some of these guys were traded out of - " " tired of this guys rebel rousing" or " unload this troublemaker"