Unfair Labor Practices

A group representing blacks in Baltimore County said last night that it wants the U.S. Justice Department and the Maryland attorney general to investigate allegations of brutality and unfair labor practices against the county police.The Rev. W. James Favorite, president of the Coalition of African-American Organizations, described five incidents within the last two years that he said illustrated problems the department has with blacks."We have received several reports of gross misconduct by police officers," he said at a news conference at Morning Star Baptist Church in Catonsville.

Monday, 3 p.m. House Appropriations, 130 Lowe, House Office BuildingHB 1158 The First Budget Reconciliation Act for Fiscal Year 1993; HB 1352 The Budget Reconciliation Act for Fiscal Year 1993House Environmental Matters, Room 160, Lowe HOBHB 1003 Growth Management -- Comprehensive Plan Enforcement; HB 1195 Economic Growth and Resource Act of 1992Tuesday, 1 p.m. Senate Finance, Presidential Wing, James Senate Office BuildingSB 523 Group Health Insurance --...

WASHINGTON -- This may sound vaguely familiar, but an ownership-imposed deadline for settling baseball's protracted labor dispute is just hours away, and there is no sign that the players and owners are close to a settlement.If there is no agreement by 12:01 a.m. tomorrow morning, the owners claim they will declare an impasse and impose their Nov. 17 salary cap proposal. This time, it appears, they really mean it."That is what we're planning on doing," said Atlanta Braves president Stan Kasten.

Barely a week from what should be the start of baseball's spring training, major league owners and players are no closer to settling their labor dispute than they were six months ago. When the president of the United States can't jawbone a settlement in a labor dispute with high public interest, a voluntary agreement is nowhere near in sight. And Mr. Clinton's call on Congress to impose binding arbitration holds little promise.Union leaders have long seemed to be relying on eventual federal action of one sort or another to break the deadlock with the owners.

A Houston hotel company yesterday finalized the purchase of the twin-towered Omni Inner Harbor Hotel for $25 million, the largest sale of a downtown lodging property in five years.The Gencom Group said its interest in the 707-room Omni stems from improved occupancy and room rates for local hotels, as well as the anticipated boost to the area's $1 billion tourist industry after the completion of the Convention Center's $150 million expansion."As a reasonably priced convention destination, Baltimore is a great area," said Lee Grossbard, a Gencom vice president of operations.

The Department of Homeland Security plans today to try to accommodate a judge's decision to block parts of its new workplace rules because they failed to guarantee union bargaining rights, a department official said. Federal workers are closely watching the outcome of this case. The rules are the model for changes at other agencies and would make it easier for the White House to fire civil servants, sidestep union contracts and adjust pay to better match those of the private sector. Government attorneys were working yesterday afternoon on the final details of a proposal to give today to U.S. District Judge Rosemary M. Collyer in Washington.

Several dozen state workers in Baltimore braved a chill wind yesterday to press Maryland officials for bigger pay checks.The rally at the state office complex by members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees comes on the eve of pay negotiations between the union and state officials.AFSCME leaders highlighted what they say is a substantial gap between many state salaries and those of government workers in Maryland counties and in nearby states.With that gap as a rallying cry, union officials hope to capitalize on the state's substantial budget surplus, which is projected to reach $600 million this year.

The Baltimore Blast was nearly caught off guard Saturday night against the Tacoma Stars but finally rallied to put itself in position to take advantage of the coming schedule.The Blast rallied to beat Tacoma, 5-4, on two fourth-quarter goals by Rusty Troy at the Baltimore Arena.That victory, combined with Cleveland's 5-4 loss to the Wichita Wings, gives the Blast a half-game lead over the Crunch in fourth place in the Major Soccer League, the last qualifying spot for the playoffs.Before the Blast left last week for a trip to England, coach Kenny Cooper designated Saturday's game and the team's next two home games "as our last real chance" to get in position to challenge for a better playoff position.

The Annapolis City Council last night approved a 2 percent raise for municipal workers.Earlier yesterday, Anne Arundel Circuit Judge Robert H. Heller Jr. set an Aug. 6 hearing date on a lawsuit alleging unfair labor practices filed by two locals of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers (AFSCME) that represent Annapolis' clerical and maintenance workers.The suit also seeks to block new work rules imposed by the city.A similar legal challenge is expected to be filed today by the city police union.

Federal investigators are trying to determine whether a faulty engine that caused a Baltimore police helicopter to crash, killing its pilot, was shoddily assembled by replacement workers during a strike at a Pennsylvania company.Jim Cain, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said he does not know why a connecting rod flew loose and punctured two holes in the engine casing of the Schweizer 300C chopper.But Cain said the four-cylinder engine "was built during the time-frame" of a contentious labor dispute at the Textron-Wycoming plant in Williamsport, Pa. He said investigators "are trying to determine" whether replacement workers built the motor.