[ The MLBPA distributed the authorization cards in large part to
demonstrate minor leaguers could clear that bar, and they are said to
have done so easily.]
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MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYERS HAVE JOINED A UNION  
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Evan Drellich
September 6, 2022
The Athletic
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_ The MLBPA distributed the authorization cards in large part to
demonstrate minor leaguers could clear that bar, and they are said to
have done so easily. _

Bruce Meyer and Tony Clark, Greg Lovett / USA Today

 

In just a week-and-a-half’s time, more than 50 percent of minor
leaguers have returned signed union authorization cards, Major League
Baseball Players Association officials told _The Athletic_. Now, with
that majority’s support, the MLBPA has taken another significant
step: it has asked MLB [[link removed]] and the 30 teams
to formally recognize the MLBPA as the minor leaguers’ collective
bargaining representatives, Players Association officials said. 

MLBPA deputy executive director Bruce Meyer made that request for
voluntary recognition
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in a letter sent to deputy MLB commissioner Dan Halem on Tuesday
morning. The Players Association sent over what’s known as a
card-check agreement, where the league would agree to voluntary
recognition, contingent on independent verification of the cards. From
here, the next move might belong to commissioner Rob Manfred and the
owners, who have yet to publicly comment on the fast-moving
unionization effort. MLB did not immediately return a request for
comment from _The Athletic_ on Tuesday.

The MLBPA has long represented major league players. In news that took
many in the industry by surprise, the Players Association sent out
authorization cards
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to minor leaguers on Aug. 28. The next day, the MLBPA announced it was
adding staff members from the non-profit Advocates for Minor Leaguers,
a group that spearheaded the organizing process.

“It doesn’t surprise me that as many guys have signed, especially
talking to the people that I’ve talked to,” said Trevor
Hildenberger, a 31-year-old who has pitched 134 games in the major
leagues and is in the San Francisco Giants
[[link removed]]’ system as a minor
leaguer. “‘Elated’ is a good word. But I’m not surprised.

“I have full confidence in the fact that this is an inevitable
reality, that the minor leaguers are going to be in the union, and
we’re going to collectively bargain with MLB for better working
conditions. I have no doubt in my mind that we’re going to reach our
goal.”

MLBPA wants to unionize minor leaguers
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If minor leaguers do form a union, the contract they bargain with MLB
would be separate from the one major leaguers have. Both groups of
players would be unionized under the MLBPA umbrella
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“This is my eighth year,” said Andres Angulo, a 25-year-old
catcher in the Baltimore Orioles
[[link removed]]’ system who helped
organize his clubhouse. “Last year, I went home with $500 in my
pocket. And I don’t think that’s something that I want for my
life. But I’m still in baseball, just because I have a dream to make
it to the big leagues. But I don’t think that’s fair for us.”

Unions can be formed in different ways: an employer can voluntarily
recognize a union, as the Players Association wants MLB to do here; or
the National Labor Relations Board can hold an election. The MLBPA is
expected to file for an election if the league does not grant
voluntary recognition.

Before an election can be held, more than 30 percent of employees have
to show support. The MLBPA distributed the authorization cards in
large part to demonstrate minor leaguers could clear that bar, and
they are said to have done so easily.

To ultimately win an election, support from 50 percent or more of
players would be needed. Player opinions could theoretically change
between now and an election, and there could be wrangling between MLB
and the MLBPA over who qualifies as a member of the minor league
bargaining unit. But the player response to the authorization cards
suggests the end result of an election could well be a union.

One MLBPA official described the number of cards returned as a
significant majority, but did not specify an exact percentage.
“Minor leaguers have spoken and it is time to start the bargaining
process,” that official said. 

Some members of the organizing effort’s leadership group have talked
to more than a hundred players since the start of last year.

“I’m thrilled,” said Joe Hudson, a 31-year-old catcher in the
Tampa Bay Rays [[link removed]]’ system,
who, like Angulo and Hildenberger, is a part of that group. “It’s
looking really good. We’re very excited. This is something that a
lot of people have worked long hours for for a long time —
tirelessly, honestly. We’ve had midnight Zoom calls — multiple —
over the past month or so, just tying some loose ends and making sure
everyone’s on board.”

It was a couple of months ago, Hudson said, that the process “really
snowballed and accelerated when the MLBPA got involved.” 

“I sat on a couple of Zoom calls and saw Tony Clark,” Hudson said.
“He’s an ultimate motivator, he’s very intimidating. But you
know, when he said, ‘Hey, this is what we’re doing, this is how
we’re going to do it,’ that was incredibly motivating. … It was
honestly just like kind of a very, very standard Zoom call that
(former Advocates executive director Harry Marino) had organized. All
of a sudden Tony was on there, it was like, ‘Oh, shit, this is
getting real.’”

More than 5,000 players would be a part of the new bargaining unit.
Because the Dominican Summer League is based outside of the U.S.,
players in that league are not automatically a part of the unit, but
the MLBPA told players it intends to try to bargain over their working
conditions as well.

In an FAQ shared with players online, the MLBPA wrote that “All
players at every level of the domestic minor leagues,” from the
complex leagues through Triple A, were being asked to sign
authorization cards. “The MLBPA … will also later seek to bargain
on behalf of minor league players in the DSL.”

Angulo, who is from Colombia, said organizing players from Latin
America came with its own challenges compared to organizing players
born in the U.S.

“I think it’s a lot different,” Angulo said. “For us, being a
minor league player is a huge opportunity, you know? You know the
situation in our countries. … At first they (the Latin American
players) didn’t want anything to do with it because they were scared
about losing their jobs, or the team finding out that they were doing
something bad against the teams. Because the first part is that they
don’t speak the language, so they don’t even know — like, they
have no clue what’s going on.”

Over time, Angulo said many Latin players have come to see the effort
as positive.

It was not immediately clear how long the Players Association might
wait for a response from MLB before moving for an election. There’s
no requirement to wait a particular amount of time, nor is there a
requirement to move for voluntary recognition at all prior to an
election, although groups trying to unionize commonly ask for
recognition. Employers often prefer to force an election, which is
held by secret ballot. 

MLB’s approach to the minor leagues has already created a lot of
negative publicity for major league owners and drawn the attention of
members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee
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The sport is also only months removed from a different, public labor
dispute over the major league collective bargaining agreement. An
owner lockout that ran from December into March nearly shortened the
2022 regular season, and did push back Opening Day.

Given that history, it’s unclear whether Manfred and the owners now
have interest in an anti-union campaign. Manfred has been widely
panned for saying in July
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that he rejected the premise that minor league players are not paid a
living wage.

MLB in recent years has chosen to raise minor-league player pay, but
not to a range most players and their supporters find satisfactory. It
begins at $400 per week at the lowest level of the minors, up to $700
a week at Triple A. MLB is also in the process of settling a
minor-league wage lawsuit
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for $185 million.

Like many who organize unions in different industries, minor leaguers
are “going up against a powerful corporation, organization,” as
Hildenberger put it. It was long believed that minor leaguers would be
a particularly unlikely group to unionize because the minors are
intended to be a stepping stone. Players, therefore, have often been
said to have reason to stay quiet, rather than challenge major league
organizations.

“I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t scared,” Hudson said.
“But at the end of the day this was something that my heart told me
was the right thing to do. I would absorb any risk that came with it.
Because I wanted to be one of the guys that took this leadership role.
Because I’ve been through it, I’ve been through it all. I can’t
tell you how many times I’ve seen teammates who’ve had to sleep in
their cars or clubhouses to save money. I know what it’s like to not
be able to afford rent, or your next grocery bill or a tank of gas.
I’ve seen grossly inadequate food options for players before and
after games.

“It’s about respect, dignity and basic fairness.”

EVAN DRELLICH [[link removed]] is a
senior writer who covers the business of baseball for The Athletic. He
was previously a reporter for the Boston Herald, the Houston
Chronicle, MassLive.com and MLB.com. He lived the television and radio
life at NBC Sports Boston and WEEI. Follow Evan on Twitter
@EVANDRELLICH [[link removed]]

* union organizing
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* baseball
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