Minor league players in the MLBPA and Major League Baseball have reached an agreement for the first-ever collective bargaining agreement for minor leaguers, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Wednesday night.
The players have been sent the deal to vote on. If the agreement is ratified before midnight Friday, then the players will earn the benefits by the time the minor league season begins.
The historic deal is set for five years, and is expected to pay minor leaguers at least double the pay they currently receive at every level in the minor leagues. Examples include the High-A pay going from $11,000 to $27,300, and Triple-A jumping from $17,500 to $35,800. Additionally, the players will be paid all year except for a six-week break in the winter.
The MLB owners still need to agree to the deal. There are various details that the union is still sorting out, as well.
This has been a continuing story line since last summer as the MLBPA pushed minor leaguers to unionize in order to improve their working conditions and pay.
The MLBPA sent out authorization cards asking minor leaguers to recognize the union as their official collective bargaining representative back in August. The response was generally positive as the minor leaguers voted with a majority supporting the union. From there, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced the major league would recognize the potential minor league union.
