Minor leaguers finally have a union

Minor league players are finally part of a union. (Cheryl Pursell)

Less than a year ago, Phillies and Mets minor leagues playing in High A banded together to protest working conditions and wore #FairBall wristbands from Advocates for Minor Leaguers during a game in Brooklyn.

Those same minor leaguers are now part of a union. On Wednesday, an arbiter validated minor league unionization cards. With MLB’s voluntary recognition, minor league players are now officially part of the Major League Baseball Players Association. They have technically formed their own separate bargaining unit, but minor leaguers will have the MLBPA’s resources at their disposal while negotiating the first ever collective bargaining agreement between minor leaguers and MLB.

A lot of progress has happened over the last calendar year on this front. MLB guaranteed housing for nearly all minor league players beginning this season, but the implementation hasn’t been smooth across the league. The Phillies, for example, were the only team this season to house minor leaguers across all levels in hotels.

On August 28, the MLBPA sent out confidential authorization cards in an attempt to include minor league players in the union. It was presumed that the next step would be to wait on a National Labor Relations Board election after at least 30% of the cards were returned with signatures, but in a rather surprising move, the league decided to voluntarily recognize the union.

The next step would be to come to an agreement on the first CBA between the two sides. Minor league salaries will likely increase significantly from the $400 to $700-a week that it’s at right now. Travel and ballpark facility conditions as well as rules regarding player compensation for licensing could also change.

The first thought many people have regarding minor league unionization is that MLB will attempt to contract the minors again. Those worries are a bit overblown. As ESPN notes, the 120 remaining minor league affiliates signed a 10-year Professional Development License with MLB prior to the 2021 season. The union could also bargain on the size of the Domestic Reserve List. It was a topic that came up during the most recent CBA negotiations between major leaguers and MLB, but minor leaguers have the chance to ensure a certain number of jobs are available in each organization.

The path to a CBA will be arduous, but it’s also quite incredible that this is being discussed as something that is months, not years away.

Don’t discount the role Phillies minor leaguers have played in making this a reality.