Minor League Baseball players have become so fed up with their low salaries that they considering forming a union to force owners to improve their wages.
The minimum salary in triple-A, the highest level of minor league baseball, is $10,750 per year. This compares to the $47,500 minimum salary given to minor league hockey players who are represented by a union.
According to the LA Times, the Professional Hockey Players Association and the United Steelworkers union (USW), which has members in a variety of professions, have both received numerous calls from minor league baseball players who are looking to unionize.
“Our union is supportive of anybody who wants to organize or work collectively to try to get some employers to address their issues, which would include minor league baseball players,” said USW director of organizing Maria Somma.
The issue will continue to rumble until 2020 when the current agreement that governs the relationship between the major and minor leagues expires. “Many owners would like to address this issue in the near term,” one official told the LA Times.
