Major League Baseball Players Association launches campaign to unionize Minor Leaguers: global player and labour union movement stand in solidarity

The MLBPA, an affiliate of the World Players Association, this week announced a campaign to unionize Minor League Players in the United States. The MLBPA has a long and distinguished track record of representing players and building player power. Its campaign is fully supported by the global player and labour union movements. Full MLBPA release below:

Major League Baseball Players Association launches campaign to unionize Minor Leaguers 

NEW YORK, Aug. 29 – The Major League Baseball Players Association has launched a campaign to unionize Minor League Players across the country.  The historic effort kicked off Sunday night after receiving overwhelming support from the MLBPA’s Executive Board. 

“Minor Leaguers represent our game’s future and deserve wages and working conditions that befit elite athletes who entertain millions of baseball fans nationwide,” MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark said. “They’re an important part of our fraternity and we want to help them achieve their goals both on and off the field.” 

The campaign is supported by Advocates for Minor Leaguers, which has served as a voice and resource for players since 2020, bringing heightened attention to the substandard working conditions that exist throughout the Minor Leagues.  Each member of the Advocates for Minor Leaguers staff has resigned to take on a new role working for the MLBPA. 

“This generation of Minor League Players has demonstrated an unprecedented ability to address workplace issues with a collective voice,” said Harry Marino, outgoing Executive Director of Advocates for Minor Leaguers.  

“This organizing campaign is an investment in the future of our game and our Player fraternity,” Clark said. 

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CONTACT: Chris Dahl, Director of Communications, 917-699-1294, cdahl@mlbpa.org