On Sunday, the MLBPA sent union authorization cards to minor league baseball players—a first step toward organizing the minors, which could introduce thousands of new members to the union and would have tremendous, widespread ramifications for organized labor in baseball. As part of the process, the MLBPA announced it had absorbed the staff of the nonprofit Advocates for Minor Leagues, a group that had previously been rallying to improve minor league working conditions and pay.
Sports Illustrated spoke with MLBPA executive director Tony Clark on Tuesday about the effort.
This conversation has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
