MLBPA Has Majority Support for Minor League Union

The MLBPA needed over 50% of players to sign the authorization cards in order to ask MLB for voluntary recognition.

The MLB Players Association announced last week it had sent authorization cards to current minor leaguers asking them to designate the union as their official collective bargaining representative as the MLBPA pushes to establish a minor league union.

The Athletic reported Tuesday that more than 50% of minor leaguers returned and signed union authorization cards. This means there is a majority in support of creating the union.

The MLBPA then released an official statement regarding the majority support, along with details about the association’s next moves in the process.

“Minor league Players have made it unmistakably clear they want the MLBPA to represent them and are ready to begin collective bargaining in order to positively affect the upcoming season,” executive director Tony Clark said.

MLBPA seeks voluntary recognition from MLB to represent Minor Leaguers pic.twitter.com/ZiVWiiRjbV

— MLBPA Communications (@MLBPA_News) September 6, 2022

The next step required would be for the 30 MLB teams to then acknowledge that the MLBPA would become the minor leaguers’ collective bargaining representative.

This step has already begun as MLBPA deputy director Bruce Meyer sent a letter Tuesday morning to deputy MLB commissioner Dan Halem asking for the voluntary recognition of the MLBPA becoming the minor leaguers’ collective bargaining representative. 

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has yet to comment on the potential formation of a union since the news broke last week.