MLB players union begins unprecedented push to unionize minor leaguers

The Major League Baseball Players Association on Monday announced a plan to unionize minor leaguers, an unprecedented step for one of the country’s more powerful unions – and one that could dramatically change the shape of professional baseball.

The process began late Sunday, when Tony Clark, the union’s executive director, sent a virtual letter to all minor league players on domestic affiliated teams, informing them of the body’s intention to open its ranks.

Players also received authorization cards on which to affirm their willingness to let the MLBPA represent them. Those cards, which a person familiar with the union’s efforts say will remain confidential, will be used to gauge support for the effort and potentially prompt a vote among minor leaguers. The National Labor Relations Board requires at least 30% support on such cards to spur an election – in this case, a vote by minor league players to unionize with the MLBPA as their representative.

The move represents a swift departure from the union’s posture toward minor leaguers to date – a posture best described as supportive but hands-off. Yet as groups such as Advocates for Minor Leaguers push for housing, higher salaries and better facilities for players, and as the antitrust exemption that helps MLB dictate those conditions comes under more scrutiny, momentum for change to the long-standing system is reaching all-time highs. The union decided the time was right to take a big swing that never seemed inevitable and still may not be.

“Minor League Players have found a collective voice in recent years. But a voice without meaningful organization is not enough,” Clark wrote in a letter to player representatives. “Unionizing will give this voice true purpose, and the MLBPA will support these efforts from start to finish.”

The union’s announcement was accompanied by an equally surprising announcement from Advocates for Minor Leaguers, the group that has recently raised awareness about working conditions and forced the issue onto the desks of those who ignored it for decades. That group said in a statement Monday that it will cease day-to-day operations as the MLBPA begins its push. All of its employees, including Executive Director Harry Marino, will now have roles at the MLBPA.

“This generation of Minor League Players has demonstrated an unprecedented ability to address workplace issues with a collective voice,” Marino said in a statement. “Joining with the most powerful union in professional sports assures that this voice is heard where it matters most – at the bargaining table.”

Clark and his staff were set to spend Monday answering questions for interested minor leaguers, according to people familiar with the plan. After that, MLBPA officials will await the return of the authorization cards in the hopes of a strong-enough showing to proceed. If they get it – and multiple people familiar with the situation say they expect plenty of support – they can hold an election.

If a majority of minor leaguers vote to be represented by the MLBPA, the NLRB would require MLB to recognize the union. MLB could also choose to recognize the union voluntarily, though after taking over and consolidating the minor league system ahead of the 2021 season, the league office seems likely to fight for the cost-controlled status quo to which its owners are accustomed. If a union is recognized, the MLBPA could then collectively bargain with the owners on behalf of minor league players as it does for major leaguers.

Exactly what consequences unionization and that bargaining could bring for minor league players and their major league employers remains to be seen, though having the MLBPA represent both major and minor leaguers would not be uncomplicated. Even in the last round of big league collective bargaining, which ended in March after a lengthy lockout, players found themselves split on several key issues. In the end, the MLBPA’s executive subcommittee voted against accepting the deal that rank-and-file membership decided to accept. Players at different stages of their careers, with different résumés and expectations, do not necessarily agree on what is best at the bargaining table at all times. Similarly, minor leaguers may find themselves with different priorities than the major leaguers – or even priorities that are in opposition to the goals of their major league colleagues.

But the MLBPA made clear Monday that it is willing to grapple with all possible complications as it pushes to add minor league players to the long list of workers in the industry – big league umpires, minor league umpires and game day staffers – who have union representation. If it does, the professional baseball system could change quickly and dramatically.