An Unusual Strike

Words in Use (Lesson 3)

• typical
• minimum
• scarce
• annual
• persuade
• essential
• blend
• visible
• expensive
• talent
• devise
• wholesale

Read the following passage to see how the new words are used in it.
   
An Unusual Strike
The baseball strike of 1994-95, which kept the public from seeing the annual World Series, was not a typical labor dispute in which low-paid workers try to persuade their employers to grant a raise above their minimum wage. On the contrary, players who earned millions of dollars yearly, who were visible on 1V commercials, drove expensive autos, and dined with presidents, withheld their essential skills until the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of our government were forced to devise solutions to the quarrel. The team owners, a blend of lawyers, manufacturers, corporate executives, etc., felt that something had to be done about the huge salaries that the players were demanding. Since the talent beyond the major leagues was scarce, they had to start spring training in 1995 with a wholesale invitation to replacement players. The regular athletes returned in late April but there was a feeling that the strike could happen again.