So MLB locked out its players early today. This is the first labor "stoppage" since the strike of 1994 that led to the cancellation of the World Series that year.
Remember the Montreal Expos? They are now the Washington Nationals. They were leading their division when play stopped in 1994. Les Expos had a really good chance to make the playoffs that year had it not been for the strike.
But I digress.
Strikes and lockouts are collective bargaining strategies meant to apply pressure to the other side, with the hope that the strategy will drive negotiations towards one's own side.
But both strikes and lockouts have consequences for one's own side. When an employer, such as MLB, locks out its workers, new product cannot be produced and sold. All else equal, that leads to a reduction in sales for the employer. Hopefully, from the employer's perception, the lockout will be worse for the union than it will be for the employer.
When a union strikes, union workers do not work and do not bring home a paycheck. All else equal, that hurts union workers. But, like the employer, the union hopes that the strike is more costly for the employer than it is for the union.
Back to MLB. The lockout was expected, and given that it's the offseason it's not a big deal for fans. And since it's the offseason, nothing with spring training or no regular season games will get cancelled. So the lockout is not nearly as costly for either side as it would be if spring training was going on or if it were the regular season.
It also means that the urge to get a new CBA done is not all that strong right now. But as we get closer to spring training, negotiations, and leaks to the press,will ramp up because that's when the pressure ramps up for both sides.