"[1] In lieu of a formal "strike" the umpires simply refused to sign their 1979 contracts at the salaries offered, per instruction of union head Richie Phillips.
[3] The season began on April 4, 1979; Pryor worked home plate for the traditional Opening Day game in Cincinnati between the Reds and the San Francisco Giants, while Hendry began his American League assignment the next day, accompanied by amateur and retired umpires.
[4] The players and managers complained about the replacement umps missing calls, even admitting them in some cases,[5] and the complaints seemed to grow each day.
[6] On May 15, 1979, the MLUA and MLB settled the labor dispute; the terms allowed the umpires to have in-season vacations by utilizing an additional umpiring crew in each league, the institution of a 401(k) plan, increases in salaries, pensions, and per diems, and a return to merit-based assignments for post-season games (replacing the rotation system that began in 1975) starting in 1982.
Another of the settlement's conditions was that the eight umpires that were hired as "replacements" during the strike would be retained, provided they maintained satisfactory performance (though Phillips claimed they were given additional credit not available to the veterans and the NL replacements were granted an extra week of vacation, charges denied by both the NL and MLB).
[8] This resulted in animosity between the veteran umpires and the rookies that the strikers regarded as "scabs"; since they crossed picket lines, they were not allowed to join the MLUA.
The replacements complained about unfair treatment by the veterans—not standing behind them on disputed calls, vandalizing their lockers, not including them in discussions both on and off the field, and generally shunning them.
Gradually the replacements left MLB as follows: Spenn (in 1980), Fields (in 1981)[10] and Harris (in 1985)[11] were fired, Parks (in 1982) and Pallone (in 1988) resigned, Brocklander retired for medical reasons in 1992.
The labor problems did not disappear, however, as the umps staged another walkout during the 1984 American League Championship Series that resulted in replacement umps working the entire series (with retired AL umpire Bill Deegan calling balls and strikes for all three games wearing the balloon protector—the last time an AL umpire did so in LCS play), and the 1984 National League Championship Series, which was worked by replacements until Game 5, when an agreement was reached.