Majority of minor league baseball players vote to support union, paving way for MLBPA membership

[underpants]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/34534778/majority-minor-league-baseball-players-vote-support-union-paving-way-mlbpa-membership-sources-say

"Minor league players have made it unmistakably clear they want the MLBPA to represent them and are ready to begin collective bargaining in order to positively affect the upcoming season," MLBPA executive directory Tony Clark said in a statement.

If the league chooses not to recognize by a date specified in the letter, the MLBPA could hold a vote through the National Labor Relations Board in which more than 50% of eligible players would need to vote in favor of unionization.

The issue of minor league pay has rocketed to the forefront of the sport in recent years. The vast majority of players currently receive between $400 and $700 a week and are paid only in-season. MLB in July agreed to pay $185 million to settle a federal class-action lawsuit filed by minor league players who sought pay after alleging minimum wage and overtime violations by teams. The Senate Judiciary Committee has said it intends to hold hearings on the treatment of minor league players and how the league's antitrust exemption affects them.

"We're seeing how things have worked over the past decades and how things are going to work in the future," said New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who is one of the eight members of the MLBPA's executive board. "We are headed in the right direction. When I was in the minor leagues, it was so much about forgetting about what you're getting paid, forget about the travel, just make it to the big leagues and play better. But also it's not the way to be.

[James48]

1. Misinformation.

Apparently the Union in this case did a “card check”, not a vote.

Asking the employer to recognize based on card check is commonly done in some states, but not all. Forming a Union only requires the company to recognize the Union. But if they refuse, it takes months for the NLRB to hold an election, and the formal notice to the company by the NLRB, in the case of an actual vote in favor.

Good luck.