view raw text
Not Committed to Anything-Kiner Tells Players Why Counsel Was Hired Pension Fund and Minimum Pay Are Principal Reasons For Legal Advisor, He Says By FRED DOWN United Press Sports -Writer BROOKLYN, N. Y., Aug. 27. Major league players have been told they "were not committed to anything" when J. Nor- man Lewis was retained as their counsel, Ralph Kiner, the National Leagues player representative, said today. Kiner said he advised the players they were incurring no financial obligations when Lewis was hired. He made that plain in a letter circulated to the 16 individual club representatives. Kiner said he asked that the letter be read to all the players, who seemed to know little more than what they read in the newspapers about their relationship to Lewis. Kiner dismissed as "ridiculous" speculation that the 49-year-old partner in the New York law firm of Lewis and Mound could become a "players czar"; that he might attempt to unionize the players, or that Lewis would have anything to say about individual salary negotiations. "Lewis has been hired as legal counsel," Kiner declared. "He will be no czar or commissioner, or whatever else you want to call it. And talk of unionization of players is simply ridiculous." Kiner took issue with Earl Torgeson, of the Philadelphia Phillies, who charged that Kiner and Allie Reynolds, the American Leagues player representative, had no power to hire anyone to represent the: players. j Nothing to Do With Pay Talks; "Torgesons statements show only that he doesnt know what hes talking about," Kiner said. "Obviously, he does not understand our relationship with Mr. Lewis. Mr. Lewis will have absolutely nothing to do with salary negotiations, other than to help us establish a new minimum. After that every player will be on his own." The Cubs home-run slugger said one of the main reasons Lewis was hired was to obtain an explanation from baseballs officials as to the working of the players pension fund. "It was my understanding that all the receipts from the All-Star game and world series television were put into the pension fund," Kiner explained. "However, now I have found that this is not true. "I simply do not know how the pension fund works," Kiner continued. "If a young player on the Cubs asked me how the fund works, I just am unable to tell him. "Obviously, such a situation doesnt make sense," Kiner went on. "The players should know how their own fund works. But so far they have been unable to find out." Kiner said that commissioner Ford Frick had failed to keep a promise to send a representative to the various clubs to explain the pension fund. "Mr. Frick said after the All-Star game that a representative from his office would explain the fund to all the players," Kiner said. "I know a representative explained it to the Dodgers, but all the clubs have not had the explanation." Kiner said he regarded Lewis first meeting with Frick last Monday as "satisfactory," but added: "I dont understand why Frick barred Lewis from the executive council meeting and made a point to tell the newspapers. "We have made some progress in our negotiations with the owners in the last two years," Kiner said. "Most of the clubs have co-operated, but there is a small minority of club owners who simply refuse to co-operate with us." Kiner added he was "surprised and gratified by the editorial support we have received from the newspapers." r
