The Major League Baseball Players Association announced that the MLBPA will be sending Minor League players union authorization cards. The MLBPA is a union that currently represents the baseball players on the 40 man roster on all Major League Baseball teams.
Players will sign the card if they are in favor of unionizing.
ESPN reported that the MLBPA needs at least 30 percent of the Minor League players to sign the authorization cards in order to represent the minor leaguers.
According to ESPN, “If a majority of those who vote in an election choose for union representation, the National Labor Relations Board will require MLB to recognize the union.”
In a press release on Aug. 29, the MLBPA explained that it is fighting for MiLB players to have the wages and working conditions that they deserve. This would allow for the potential unionization of over 5,000 Minor League players.
This issue is becoming bigger than baseball, with even the Senate Judiciary Committee questioning the MLB’s treatment of MiLB players.
“It is reasonable to question the premise that MLB is treating the Minor Leaguers fairly…We need to make sure MLB is stepping up to the plate when it comes to fair treatment of players and communities, which is why the Judiciary Committee is planning an upcoming hearing on the issue,” U.S. Senate Majority Whip and Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Dick Durbin, said in regards to the MLB’s Commissioner Rob Manfred statement on MiLB players.
Many Minor League players do not believe they are making a livable wage. The annual salary for a MiLB player is between $4,800 to $14,000, according to a Washington Post article written by minor League pitcher, Simon Rosenblum-Larson.
Rosenblum-Larson said he has seen minor leaguers skip meals in order to pay the rent. By attempting to unionize, Minor League baseball players are making history. Minor leaguers should not have to skip meals to play the game they love.
