05/05/2024
How a Labor-Management Problem COULD be Resolved Cooperatively
A couple of weeks ago we wrote about a labor-management problem and how not to solve it. We discussed a problem impacting Major Leage Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), the union representing major and minor league players.
The dispute centers around serious injuries to pitchers. Both sides have resorted to traditional labor-management behaviors in approaching the problem. To summarize, this has involved:
1, One party announces to media that there is a problem,
2. The parties take a position and blame each other for the problem,
3, The sides present limited reasoning for their positions, often siting little or no evidence for their conclusions.
4. Fire up their constituents by continuing to blame each other.
5. When the problem does not go away on its own, move on, and hope no one will notice,
It is unlikely the parties will be able to find solutions to the problem unless they change their approach. Today, we would like to consider how they could approach the situation by working cooperatively.
We have discussed effective problem solving procedures in several earlier blogs, and detailed them in our instructional videos on our CALMC web site. To summarize the process, we use 5 basic steps.
1. Start by Defining the Problem. The union began the process by declaring an increase in pitcher injuries was caused by the use of a pitch clock. The timer is designed to speed up the game by limiting how long a pitcher can take between pitches. The union contends the clock increases the strain on pitchers’ arms by cutting down on the recovery time between pitches.
Management blames the problem on additional strain placed on pitchers’ arms by the increased velocity of the pitches they throw and the motion they use to add additional spin on the ball. This spin causes ball to break more, either vertically or horizontally to make it harder for the batter to hit.
Either of these accusations might be right, or they both might be wrong. We do not know unless we can analyze data to help understand what is really happening. Without information, we cannot consider the causation of the problem. We can only guess, and that is rarely effective.
Clearly, there are problems here that impact both management and labor. Pitchers are getting hurt and often out of action, sometimes for months or longer. This adversely affects the teams that lose these players as well as the careers of the players.
There is also no doubt there is additional strain placed on pitchers’ arms. In 2010, the Cincinnati Reds signed Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman after a bidding war for his services. The primary attraction was his ability to consistently throw the baseball over 100 miles per hour. You can imagine the strain placed on the arm and shoulder, especially when it is repeated multiple times per game.
When Chapman arrived in Cincinnati, he was very unusual. Fans loved to come to game to see how fast he could throw that day if he came out of the bullpen. He was one of very few pitchers who could throw with that velocity.
Now, there are multiple pitchers who can throw that fast, often one (or more) per team. Demand for this ability continues to increase, with resulting increases in salaries for those who can.
Additionally, pitchers want to put more spin on the baseball when the throw it. Those who are good at this can make the ball break over a foot on the way to the plate. Teams hire coaches who can teach pitchers to throw this and staff minor league teams with training facilities to help measure the ability to do this and throw the ball with more and more spin.
The human arm is not meant to throw a baseball this hard or with this spin rate. The average spin rate in major league baseball is around 2,150 revolutions per minute, and has been measured as high as 3,468 rpm. It is accomplished by rotating the arm as the pitch is thrown.
As you can imagine, the torque both of these actions result in tremendous strain on shoulders and elbows. Teams and players may want to strike a balance between the ability to throw hard with spin while limiting the risk of injury. Neither pitchers nor teams always make good decisions in this regard.
Before we can proceed, we need to consider the possible problems without trying to fix blame. The concerns impact both labor and management. Examining these factors takes effort and careful consideration, It seems like both labor and management could be right, but how can we know?
Interestingly, many prominent players disagree with the position of their union, Justin Verlander has been one of the best pitchers for many years, but has suffered significant injuries since 2021. He said, “it would be easiest to … blame the pitch clock.” He noted the desire of pitchers to throw harder with increased spin rates, even if it comes with a higher chance of injury.
2, Diagnose the Problem. Now for the hard part, gathering and analyzing data that is relevant to the problem. Without data and information, we cannot really understand what is happening.
Some groups try to skip this step. If they do, effective problem solving is not likely to occur. There are a variety of tools we could use in this effort. Some are statistical, others are qualitative. It can take time and could result in some expense, but doing so would avoid jumping to a wrong conclusion.
If baseball and the players work together to diagnose the problems, they might be able to come to common understandings of what is really happening. With this, they could also build on their ability to work together on future problems.
In an attempt to support their position, MLB released the results from a study conducted by Johns Hopkins University. It focused on the stress on elbows as the cause of pitcher injuries, but did not consider other factors. Although the data was impressive, by minimizing other possible factors, is is far from conclusive.
The MLBPA released no data in support of its position. Without data and information, attempting to solve problems is like throwing darts at a moving target while blindfolded.
3. Develop a List of Possible Solutions. If we have effectively diagnosed the problems, we can now focus on how they can be solved. Beginning to discuss solutions earlier increases the risk of jumping to conclusions. Use the information you have gathered about the issues and start finding solutions.
Do not focus on finding the one solution to the problem. Rarely do problems ever have just one solution, we want to consider as many as possible, Use brainstorming to determine as many options as possible without judgement about them. That will come later.
Possible solution to these problems could involve limiting the number of 100+ mile per hour pitches thrown per inning or limiting the spin rate and the number of pitches thrown at high rates. They could involve better training techniques for pitchers.
It should be possible to develop a long list of options. One we have, we can start to decide what we will do.
4. Develop Standards to Help Us Judge the Options. Standards are how we determine whether a possible solution is workable. We recommend labor management groups use three basic standards in dealing with problems.
Is the proposed solution feasible? If not, it will not work. Possible solutions such as “Eliminate pitchers and have a machine throw the ball” would not be workable without upending the game. Introducing a machine would interfere with the game too significantly.
Is the solution affordable? If not, there is no reason to move forward unless costs can be cut. Fortunately, we are dealing with a multi-billion dollar industry, so the options are more likely to meet this standard.
Will the proposed solution work to solve the problem? If not, we do not need to consider it.
There are other options we can use that relate to the specific problem, The team working on the issue can consider them. They might involve limiting spin rates, pitcher workloads, types of pitches that can be thrown, or many other factors relevant to the problem.
5. Determine Which Options Meet the Standards. If an option does not, it should be eliminated. Only those meeting all standards will remain under consideration. The team can then decide on which option (or options) they want to try. This decision should be made by consensus.
But what if I don’t know anything about baseball? How can I help a team solve the problem? This is really not a concern, since when solving labor-management problems you shuld be working with people from both sides in the industry or organization, no matter whether it is a manufacturer, retail store, safety committee, school, or other group. Members of the team will provide the organizational expertise to deal with the problem. As long as you, as a trainer or facilitator, know the tools and process of problem solving, you can be successful and so will your tram.
After MLB and the players’ union raised the issue of pitcher injuries, the parties engaged in a traditional labor-management process that focused on finger pointing and blame finding. In the intervening weeks, nothing aimed at solving the problem has occurred. As a result, pitcher injuries are still happening.
A team-based, cooperative process like the one outlined here would be more likely to find potential solutions. It permits the parties to jointly attack the problem rather than each other. The process is nt necessarily easy or quick, but the outcomes are far better than the stalemate that results from traditional approaches.
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CALMC activities, including our blog, are made possible in part by the continuing support of our members, such as
• American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 8
• American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 1656
• Central Ohio Labor Council, AFL-CIO
• Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council
• Columbus City School District
• Educational Service Center of Central Ohio
• Electrical Industries Labor-Management Cooperation Committee, including
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 683
Central Ohio Chapter, National Association of Electrical Contractors
• Franklin County Board of Commissioners, Department of Human Resources
• Ohio Civil Service Employees Association/AFSCME Local 11 and the Union Education Trust
• Ohio Education Association
• Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 189
• Roofers, Local 86
• Seafarers/United Industrial Workers
• Sheet Metal Contractors of Central Ohio
• Sheet Metal Workers Local 24
• Skinner Diesel Repair
• State Council of Professional Educators (SCOPE)
• State of Ohio Office of Collective Bargaining
Our activities are also made possible in part by a grant from the City of Columbus.
Contact us for more information about Columbus Area Labor-Management Committee or to become a member.
