MLBPA finally looking to unionize minor league players

Minor league players have been suffering through low pay, terrible working conditions, and a myriad of other issues. The MLBPA is finally getting around to taking care of that.

On Monday, the MLBPA announced that they have begun a campaign to unionize the minor leagues. The campaign itself actually began on Sunday night, as Joon Lee from ESPN reported that the players had been sent a card to vote on whether or not to join the Union.

Minor league players could finally join MLBPA

The plight of minor league players had come into the spotlight during the pandemic. Teams attempted to keep from paying those players all year as they were unable to perform in the minors. At the same time, they attempted to keep them from finding other opportunities in the game since they were members of the organizations.

Eventually, the teams relented and paid the players a weekly stipend for the season, but that action put a spotlight on how minor league players are treated. When the league unilaterally cut 42 minor league teams, that further lowered the player pool and limited opportunities. The league then attempted to cut down the number of minor league players per organization before 2022, ultimately putting that plan on the back burner.

While minor league players won a $185 million settlement from the league for unpaid wages in a class action lawsuit, that was essentially a drop in the bucket. Players were still receiving poor nutrition in terms of the ‘meals’ being served and, in some cases, sleeping on chairs and floors in conference rooms when a hotel was not booked in time.

There has been some progress. Advocates for Minor Leaguers, a non-profit that has helped bring some of these issues to light, was able to get teams to pay for housing for minor league players. Congress has taken notice of how players are treated and is starting to question Major League Baseball about their practices. It is not a surprise that Advocates for Minor Leaguers is being rolled into the MLBPA ahead of this vote.

There is still a lot that needs to happen before the MLBPA officially represents the minor leagues as well. At least 30% of the players need to fill out those cards and send them back to trigger a vote. Then the vote needs to pass for the minor leaguers to be represented. However, that seems as though it is just a formality at this point.

Minor league players may finally get the representation they need. The MLBPA is looking to bring those players under their umbrella.