Fangraphs Article on MiLB Players Fight to Gain Minimum Wage Protection

[nicksaviking]

Another great article, this one from Nathanial Grow, regarding the struggles of MiLB players fighting a losing cause.  MLB anti-trust protection seems to protect the teams from paying MiLB players even minimum wage, but the little guys fight back:

 

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/minor-league-baseball-to-seek-congressional-protection-from-the-minimum-wage/#comment-4861513

 

According to my (generally wrong) math:

 

If every MiLB player made the minimum of $7,200 per year, and federal minimum wage of $7.25/hour for 40 hours per week equals $15,080 per year, then with 160 teams and 25 players per team, that means to get every player up to federal minimum wage levels, the collective MLB teams would need to cover an additional $31,520,000 which of course is just over $1 million per team per year. And that’s assuming that every minor leaguer currently makes league minimum, which they don’t.

 

Cheap freakin’ owners.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I don't understand this one at all.  Given the revenues of MLB, they could fix this cheaply.  Heck, build some apartment style housing near their facilities and feed them (if for no other reason than to insure they eat healthy).  It wouldn't be that expensive and would probably end this fight with out giving these kids a raise.

[The Wise One]

The union could collectively bargain for milb players to get more. IIRC bonus money for the drafted players used to be more as well as the international players. So much for the union.

[Steven Buhr]

Of course, the owners could fix this easily. But they and their multi-billion dollar annual revenues prefer to force the other two parties in the three-pronged MiLB system, the minor league teams and the minor league players, to assume adversarial relationships.

 

Clearly, MLB thinks they have a better chance getting protective legislation than they have winning in court and they know Congressmen/women from almost every state in the country are more likely to fall in line with pressure from the MiLB executives in their states than they are simply by having a MLB lobbyist show up in their office.

 

I think it's shameful that MLB is forcing two parties that it already takes advantage of to the point where neither is making much, if any, money to battle one another for the right simply to survive.

 

Baseball is using the threat of contraction to browbeat MiLB owners in to doing their bidding on the Hill for them. Unfortunately, it will probably work.

[Mike Sixel]

Shameful. Not shocking.

[maxisagod]

The union could collectively bargain for milb players to get more. IIRC bonus money for the drafted players used to be more as well as the international players. So much for the union.

 

I think this should be a trade of for a international draft. Cost control signing fees, but give everyone a livable wage (though federal minimal wage is hardly livable to begin with). 

[Steven Buhr]

I think this should be a trade of for a international draft. Cost control signing fees, but give everyone a livable wage (though federal minimal wage is hardly livable to begin with). 

The Players Union has absolutely no incentive to negotiate on behalf of minor league players. They don't pay dues and most of them never will.

[D. Hocking]

The Players Union has absolutely no incentive to negotiate on behalf of minor league players. They don't pay dues and most of them never will.

 

Because it would be the right thing to help those less fortunate than themselves and would show that all the charitable photo ops they do throughout the year are more than just show?  Because they probably have some sort of feeling of fraternity and brotherhood with these players, having been through it themselves?  Because they will be visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve if they don't?

 

(One can dream.)

[nicksaviking]

The Players Union has absolutely no incentive to negotiate on behalf of minor league players. They don't pay dues and most of them never will.

 

From the looks of it, none of them could afford to pay dues anyway.

 

I would think that perhaps the union would start supporting minor leaguers if only to have another avenue for leverage with the owners.  Still, I'm sure they've weighed the cost benefits of such decisions. 

 

Which of course then makes the union seem all too similar to the owners.

[TRex]

 

SD Buhr, on 16 Dec 2014 - 3:44 PM, said:

    The Players Union has absolutely no incentive to negotiate on behalf of minor league players. They don't pay dues and most of them never will.

If the Players Union paid the minor leaguers' salary, how could they not let them join? And if they do let them join, they will greatly outnumber the major leaguers! Why would MLB players want to accede to the wishes of 18 year olds?

[diehardtwinsfan]

I think this could kill the anti-trust exemption if MLB and the union aren't careful, which could have implications for the draft. That exemption exists only because their rights are collectively bargained, but in this case, the union is negotiating on the behalf of minor leaguers (and it clearly isn't representing their best interests) but not giving those minor leaguers a voting interest in the very contract that governs them. I'm not a lawyer, but I'm pretty sure a first year law student could win this in court b/c it's a pretty basic violation of how those exemptions work.

[JB_Iowa]

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/mlb/diamondbacks/2014/12/17/indications-arizona-diamondbacks-unhappy-wade-miley-preparation/20509839/

 

 

As I was reading the article above, I thought about this thread.  The D'backs apparently wanted Miley (& teammates) to be gluten free yet most teams don't seem to have much interest in providing good nutrition for their minor leaguers.  I'd think good nutritional habits would be especially important for 16-22 year olds.

[diehardtwinsfan]

yeah, these kids are still growing.  Not sure gluten free is the answer (unless there's a medical condition), though keeping their carb intake as a whole lower would make some sense...   but I'd be ensuring that these kids got lots of protein and veggies in particular.  That's what I really don't get about this.  Feeding them is in MLBs best interest.  Making sure they can live in clean housing, I would think, would be as well.  You don't want these kids living in a dangerous area of town b/c that's all they can afford, nor do you want them bringing the stresses of not being able to pay their bills into work with them.  I'd think that would make it very difficult for them to concentrate on baseball.

[Mike Sixel]

I too find it very odd that teams don't work on nutrition like crazy. These are their assets. 

 

OTOH, big companies are cheap and stupid, so I'm not surprised.