Fehr retiring as baseball union leader

NEW YORK, June 22 (UPI) -- Donald Fehr announced his retirement Monday as executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association.

"It has been a high privilege to be entrusted with the leadership of this extraordinary union for the last 25 years, and I am enormously proud of what the players have accomplished during that time," said Fehr, who has held the position since 1983.

"But now, about two years before the next round of collective bargaining, is the right time for me to relinquish my position and for the players to name new leadership," Fehr said in a release. "I have informed members of the executive board that I will resign effective not later than next March 31."

Fehr recommended Michael Weiner, the MLBPA general counsel since 2004, to succeed him as executive director.