MLBPA quickly reaches notable milestone in its effort to unionize minor leaguers

In a charge led by several former SF Giants minor leaguers, the MLBPA has quickly reached a significant effort towards unionizing minor-league players.

The Major League Baseball Player's Association announced an effort to unionize the minor leagues last week, and it looks like players have responded quickly. In a statement released on Tuesday, the MLBPA revealed that "a significant majority of minor leaguers" have already signed union authorization cards. With more than 50% of players signed on, the union is seeking voluntary recognition from MLB.

It would be surprising to see MLB recognize the minor leaguers' efforts to unionize so easily. While there is an obvious need for significant changes, MLB owners have been prioritizing cost-cutting measures over the living conditions of their players for decades, and it seems unlikely for that to change in the near future. With that said, minor league players have built tremendous momentum in organizing to force things to change.

The move marks one of the more notable unionizing efforts amidst a nationwide boom in labor organizing. With many employers downsizing and cutting staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, employees around the country pushed back with an increase in unionizing and strike rates over the past couple of years.

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The harsh conditions facing minor league players have been well documented over the past decade. Several former SF Giants prospects led the charge in raising awareness and pressuring teams to improve conditions. Former pitcher Garrett Broshuis led a class-action lawsuit against the league for violating minimum wage laws that eventually settled for $185 million. Another former Giants prospect, Matt Paré, helped co-found Advocates for Minor Leaguers in 2020, a group that pressured big-league teams to improve conditions for players and has joined the MLBPA in their pursuit to unionize minor leaguers.

The power is in commissioner Rob Manfred's hands to allow this to happen by simply recognizing this effort. However, it seems far more likely that the league will fight this in court since Manfred has consistently prioritized ownership profits over all else during his tenure at the helm of the league's decision-making. While the league has no real case if the majority of minor leaguers want to unionize, we have seen companies like Starbucks and Amazon use union-busting tactics to try to stall and prevent similar efforts among their employees.

With the help of groups like Advocates for Minor Leaguers, things have been steadily improving over the past few years for players. Several teams agreed to pay minor leaguers during the cancelled 2020 minor-league season following public pressure amd MLB mandated all teams provide their players with housing heading into this season. Still, the vast majority of minor leaguers receive less than $15,000 a year from franchises worth well over $1 billion. Instead of focusing on their development in the offseason, many prospects are forced to find second and third jobs so they can afford to keep playing. That would change for the better if minor leaguers are able to unionize.