A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the players’ association will submit union authorization cards to an arbitrator on Wednesday under an agreement with Major League Baseball.
FILE - Tampa Tarpons manager Rachel Balkovec, center, exchanges fist bumps with her players, while making her debut as a minor league manager of the Tarpons, a Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, before a baseball game against the Lakeland Flying Tigers, Friday, April 8, 2022, in Lakeland, Fla. Players on the Single-A Tampa Tarpons have been talking individually about efforts to unionize minor league players and the idea is gaining momentum.
MLB and the union reached a card-check agreement Saturday, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. Martin Scheinman, baseball's permanent arbitrator, is expected to count the cards to determine whether more than 50% of the eligible players for the bargaining unit had signed. If a majority is achieved, MLB would recognize the union for minor leaguers and the players' association would not have to ask the National Labor Relations Board to hold an election.
The bargaining unit would include minor leaguers except for 40-man major league roster players on option, who are covered by the big league union; players assigned to the Dominican Summer League, which is outside the U.S.; and players on the voluntary retired list.
First-round draft picks this year agreed to signing bonuses for their initial contracts ranging from $2.1 million to $8.19 million. Sixty-seven of the top 68 selections are getting $1 million or more — the other $997,500.
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