5 retired MLB umpires — including Joe West — sue benefit plan, alleging they are owed more money

Five retired umpires have sued their retirement plan from their work for Major League Baseball and the plan's retirement committee, alleging they are owed additional money.Joe West, Tom Hallion, Gerry Davis, Larry Vanover and Jerry Layne filed the lawsuit on Sept. 29 in federal court in New York.They claimed their benefits were not correctly calculated and alleged they should receive additional money under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. Their lawyer, Paul B. Holmes, said Thursday the amount owed the five is in excess of $2 million.West said that when he brought up the issue to the retirement committee, he was offered a relatively small sum. West said MLB senior vice president and chief employment counsel Steven Gonzalez told him: “If you don't like the number, sue us.”“Does Steve Gonzalez not know my history with dealing with lawsuits?” West said.West, who worked a record 5,460 regular-season games from 1976-2021, was awarded $500,000 in damages in 2021 for a defa