Umpires: Still No Accord : Baseball: After owners’ latest offer is rejected, replacements are expected to be used starting today.

NEW YORK — Major league umpires rejected the latest offer from owners, making it likely replacements will be working when the season opens today.

The board of the umpires’ union rejected the offer, 9-0.

Amateur umpires have been working during spring training and owners are prepared to start the season with them.

“It’s with regret that we can’t make a deal,” management negotiator Robert Kheel said. “We would rather have the disruption at the present time, however unattractive that may be, rather than at a time of the association’s choosing.”

Both sides were clearly pessimistic about reaching an agreement. Owners have locked out the umpires since Jan. 1, the day after their four-year agreement expired.

Umpires intend to picket tonight’s season opener in Miami between the Dodgers and Florida Marlins.

“We’ve been in constant contact with the players’ association over the past several weeks,” union head Richie Phillips said from his home outside Philadelphia. “The position of the players’ association has not been made yet absolutely clear.”

The Ontario Labor Relations Board has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday on the umpires’ attempt to stop the American League from using replacement umpires at the SkyDome in Toronto. Ontario law prohibits replacement workers, but the league says it, not the Blue Jays, employ the umpires and is exempt because it is an American employer.

“Should the application be successful, the Blue Jays would be required to cancel its initial home games on short notice at enormous inconvenience to ticket holders, many of whom would have traveled long distances,” the owners said in a statement.

“Such a result would have the potential for inciting unruly demonstrations.”

The leagues are proposing a raise in starting salaries to $70,000 from $60,000. The top of the scale calls for the pay of a 30-year veteran to rise to $215,000 from $175,000.

In their last public proposal, umpires asked for starting pay of $85,000 with a top scale of $240,000.

Owners offered to increase severance pay to $335,000 from $300,000, to increase disability pay to $6,500 per month from $5,000 and to increase the daily per diem allowance to $215 from $206.50.