Five years after Major League Baseball’s lobbyists succeeded in passing a controversial bill exempting minor league baseball players from federal wage law, the league is again lobbying for changes, this time at the state level.
Jason Garcia, who covers the influence of businesses on public policy in Florida, reported Tuesday that MLB is supporting legislation to exclude baseball players from the state’s minimum-wage law. The league has undertaken related efforts in Texas and Arizona, Garcia reported.
Compared to the impact players felt from the federal legislation MLB succeeded in pushing through in 2018, the Save America’s Pastime Act, the league’s ongoing efforts at the state level likely will not be as profound. That’s because minor leaguers last year decided to unionize, and are in the midst of collectively bargaining their first contract with baseball’s owners.
Wages are a mandatory subject of bargaining. The new CBA is highly likely to include minimums that meet, if not exceed, different state requirements.
Why, then, if the new CBA will set player salaries, is MLB still pursuing further wage-related legislation at the state level? Theoretically, an exemption, or the potential of one, could give the owners leverage in CBA talks with the minor leaguers. If a state like Florida doesn’t require players to be paid during, say, spring training, then MLB could try to leverage that in the negotiations.
A league spokesperson, however, said, “This is not about collective...
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