Minor league players have received a ballot from the Major League Baseball Players Association authorizing the players’ union to be their collective bargaining representative, MLBPA CEO Tony Clark confirmed Sunday night. .
The move marks a monumental step for minor league players, who have been unable to collectively bargain for things like their salary, housing, and name, image, and likeness.
Clark said the players’ union is moving forward with a vote because it has heard from enough minor leaguers who want union representation.
“Over the last few weeks and really over the last two years, there has been a build-up of players offering their voices and concerns with Minor League Defenders who continue to echo and add to those voices in a way that has led us to this point.” Clark told ESPN.
For the MLBPA to represent minor league players and call an election, 30% or more of the players would have to vote that they want union representation. If more than 50% of minor league players vote for union representation, the National Labor Relations Board will require Major League Baseball to recognize the union. MLB and MLBPA should then collectively bargain for minor league players.
According to Clark, the MLBPA moved forward with this vote to potentially represent the minor leagues after being cleared by the player’s union leadership. According to multiple league sources, every minor league team in the United States has player representatives who hand out voting cards to their teammates to organize voting. This logistical coordination was organized by Advocates for Minor Leaguers, which has three player outreach coordinators who speak regularly with minor league players.
On Tuesday, those who work for Advocates for Minor Leaguers will leave their positions with the nonprofit and become employees of the MLBPA to help organize its efforts to collectively bargain on behalf of minor league players.
Advocates for Minor Leaguers Executive Director Harry Marino, who played in the minor leagues for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles minor system, joined Advocates for Minor Leaguers in 2020 and was initially planning a multi-year schedule. years to organize the minor leagues. The effort accelerated in the 2021 and 2022 seasons as more minor league players expressed interest in union representation.
Public pressure created in part by minor league advocates helped Major League Baseball create a universal housing policy, guaranteeing housing for minor league players, and led to teams retroactively paying for spring training. Advocates for minor league players organized a petition in late April signed by more than 1,000 minor league players demanding that Major League Baseball teams pay players for spring training, and the petition is described as a step towards unionization.
“The time has come because the major and minor league players have let us know that the time is right,” Marino told ESPN. “It was this group of players at the minor league level that pushed this forward for the last two seasons and the major league players took notice and finally decided to take this step.”
The MLBPA and attorneys have not confirmed a timeline or deadline for the voting process.
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There has been growing optimism throughout the 2022 season among minor leaguers about the possibility of union representation. Minor league players who spoke to ESPN said conversations about union representation have changed dramatically from 2021 to 2022, with more players speaking openly about their living conditions both in private and in public.
Marino said major leaguers who have expressed support for minor leaguers in union representation have played a huge role in moving forward.
“Major League players have tremendous power in this game,” Marino said. “And knowing that the major leagues have their back is really what makes the difference for the guys in the minor leagues.”
Clark expressed confidence in passing the vote for the MLBPA to represent minor league players due to feedback he received from players.
“Listening to the players and the concerns they have expressed about their interest in creating an official seat at the negotiating table gives me confidence,” Clark said. “The players always give me confidence.”
Major League Baseball did not respond to request for comment.
Both Clark and Marino said the minor league effort to vote for union representation under the MLBPA is in line with the broader trend of unionization in the United States. Although both acknowledged that Major League Baseball could continue to prop up the minor leagues, as Commissioner Rob Manfred wrote to the Senate Judiciary Committee, both believe minor leaguers will be better off in the long run.
“The game of baseball will be better for everyone,” Marino said, “when minor leaguers have a seat at the table.”
