The union announced Tuesday that more than 50% of minor league players have voted in favor of unionizing.
In a letter sent to MLB on Tuesday morning, the union said it asked for voluntary recognition from the league, in which MLB would acknowledge that a majority of minor league players are trying to unionize.
Tony Clark, executive directory of the MLBPA, said in a statement that minor league players are ready to begin collective bargaining in order to positively affect the upcoming season.
More than 50% of eligible players would need to vote in favor of unionization in order for the MLBPA to hold a vote.
The percentage of minor league players who returned union authorization cards exceeded the threshold needed for the next step in unionization. Minor league players say higher wages are their top priority.
I think this is the right thing to do. "We're all jacked up," said Joe Hudson, a catcher at Triple-ADurham. Some teammates can't believe this is happening. Everyone is moving forward with a positive attitude. I haven't found anyone who is against this right now. This is a snowball effect.
The MLBPA wants to grow its rank-and-file more than fourfold after decades of only representing players on 40-man rosters. The union is considering representation for players on Dominican Summer League teams and at teams' Dominican complexes in the future.
Advocates for Minor Leaguers, a group that helped organize the players who distributed the authorization cards and fought for improvements, including higher pay and housing in home cities, has been hired by the MLBPA.
Lunn said that people have been more open to discussing what's going on. Before, it was just the Advocates trying to spread the word and people were timid and scared to talk about the issues of what's going on, and now it seems like the players are talking about it more They are not afraid of confronting the issue.
Minor league pay has become a hot topic in recent years. Most of the players get between $400 and $700 a week. Minor league players who alleged minimum wage and overtime violations by their teams were the subject of a class-action lawsuit. The Senate Judiciary Committee wants to hold hearings on the treatment of minor league players and how the antitrust exemption affects them.
Francisco Lindor is one of the eight members of the MLBPA's executive board. We are moving in the correct direction. When I was in the minor leagues, it was so important to forget about the travel and just play better in the big leagues. It isn't the way to be.
It's about having better sleep, better travel, better food, and better paychecks that help you perform at a higher level. We are trying to help them out by unionizing them. They are the future and that is the beginning of every baseball player. They are hoping to be protected.
This report was contributed to by a person.
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