It’s been a long time in the making, but it’s finally here—minor league baseball players are now represented by a union.
The minor leagues have existed in some form or fashion since 1901, and while major league players didn’t negotiate their first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) until 1968, minor leaguers have never been afforded that opportunity—until now.
Minor league unionization has been a topic of discussion for a while now, but it really came into focus in 2018, when the Save America’s Pastime Act was passed. Major League Baseball lobbied lawmakers to exclude minor leaguers from minimum-wage and overtime laws.