The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-10-31
CHANGES REQUESTED
BY FRATERNITY TO
NATIONAL BOARD
President FultZ Gives Out
Official List of Requests
Made by the Players
Fraternity

New York, October 30--The official list
of requests made by the Baseball Play
ers' fraternity of the national commits
sion and the national board of arbitra-
ton for concessions to it's members was
outlined today by President David L.
Fultz of the fraternity as follows:
First That clauses in baseball con-
tracts empowering clubs to suspend with
out pay, after certain periods of disable
ity, players who are injured in service
be eliminated and that such players be
entitled to full pay as long as they are
held under contract.
Second: That rule "a of the rules and
regulations of the national board be
amended insofar as it violates section
marked first of the fraternity agree
ment.
Third: That minor league players re-
ceive their travelling expenses from their
homes to the training camps when report
ing for spring practice.
Fourth: That the procedure now en-
ployed by the national board in hearing
players claims presented by the frater-
nifty be amended SO that the fraternity
shall receive copies of the defenses in
terposed by the clubs and an opportunity
for giving it such defenses, that imme-
diately upon decisions being rendered the
fraternity shall be served with copy
thereof and the players exhibits, if any.
presented by the fraternity, returned to
it, if requested. That the board shall in
force it's award against the clubs
In brief supporting the fraternity's
petition, President Fultz, acting for the
board of directors, states in part referring
to the various requests.
Request /: There exists today in many
of the minor league contracts and in some
of those of the American league a clause
allowing clubs to suspend without pay
player who has been disabled on the
field.
I'VE believe that this rule is unjust
to the player, in that it deprives him of
the opportunity of earning his livelihood
because, he, disregarding his own well
fare in his excessive desire to win, has
taken a risk in the furtherance of that
desire which has brought injury upon
him. We believe that the worst treat
ment a player in this situation should
receive is his unconditional release. By
the clause under consideration, however,
club is allowed to retain title to the
player and yet pay him no salary.
Request 2: The national board at it's
annual meeting in the fall of 1915 enacted
a clause designed to rule 81 of the. rules
and regulations of the national board
which is in direct violation of Section 1
of the fraternity agreement which reads
in part as follows:
"'When a major league player re-
ceives a 10-days' notice of unconditional
release, or when q Glass AA or Glass A
player receives 5-days' notice of uncon-
ditonal release, he shall be free to sign
with any team Immediately, the contract
to run from the expiration of his notice
of release
This section permits a player who has
received notice of his unconditional re-
lease to immediately negotiate for his
services SO that by expiration of the re-
lease period he will have position open
for him. Rule "a complained of takes
this right away from the minor league
player. thus materially lessening the
value of the release notice"