The Major League Baseball Player’s Association (MLBPA) has taken the first step in securing equal rights, and fair pay for all minor leaguers across the league.
According to reports, the MLBPA has sent authorization cards to minor league players to vote for an election that could make them MLBPA members.
The latest move is a continuing shift in victories for minor league players after a $185 million settlement from the league in an unpaid wages class-action lawsuit and has received housing from teams and increased pay in recent years.
The latest victories have not deterred most minor leaguers from continuing to look for better pay although not being part of a collective bargaining agreement like the Major League unions are.
For the MLBPA to represent the minor leaguers as part of a collective bargaining agreement, 30% of players need to sign union authorization cards, which would prompt an election that would begin the process for unionization.
If the election were to come out to a vote for unionization, the owners and MLBPA then would collectively bargain for minor leaguers and potentially see an end to years of difficult living conditions for those who have yet to play with the big league clubs.
The treatment of minor league players has long been a title of conversation and controversy over the last few years. The Senate Judiciary Committee has suggested in the past that it will call a hearing to explore MLB’s antitrust exemption and its treatment of minor leaguers.
MLBPA within antitrust exemptions
The antitrust exemption has long since been debated with professional sports teams. The NFL, and MLB both enjoy strict antitrust exemptions that allow for Congress to not be involved in the pay scale debates, and other oversight of the organization’s operations.
That makes collective bargaining agreements of the utmost importance for workers in each league.
Of course, a new collective bargaining agreement for minor leaguers would open a much larger debate within the current player’s association. If the minor leaguers unionize, it would greatly increase the number of players in the union.
The MLBPA could agree with a shared revenue space (a big piece of how players get fairly compensated), but that pool of money would still be significantly shorter if they base the pay on MiLB revenue.
If the league were to account for minor leaguers as part of the revenue sharing, that would decrease the pot for current major league players now.
These are all questions that will eventually come up if the minor leaguers decide to unionize. The first steps have been taken for that with the authorization cards being delivered. Once brought to the forefront, it will be up to MiLB’s players to determine what they want their future to hold.
Major League Baseball has not yet commented on the player association’s announcement.
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