Minor League Salaries Challenged in New Antitrust Lawsuit

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Jocephus
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Minor League Salaries Challenged in New Antitrust Lawsuit

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In the latest in a series of legal challenges to the minor league salary structure, a new federal class-action lawsuit filed on Friday alleges that Major League Baseball’s treatment of minor league baseball players runs afoul of the Sherman Antitrust Act. In Miranda v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, four former minor league players (Sergio Miranda, Jeff Dominguez, Jorge Padilla and Cirilo Cruz) contend that MLB teams have violated federal antitrust law by illegally conspiring to fix minor league players’ salaries at below-market rates. Still, despite the merits of the players’ claims, the suit’s odds of success are relatively low.

The Miranda suit alleges that MLB unlawfully suppresses minor league players’ salaries in a variety of ways. By subjecting North American amateur players to the first-year player draft each June, Major League Baseball prevents draftees from selling their services to the highest bidder — instead forcing them to negotiate with only a single team. MLB then artificially reduces the size of the signing bonuses that entry level players receive through its domestic and international signing bonus pool restrictions.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/minor-le ... t-lawsuit/

jim
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Re: Minor League Salaries Challenged in New Antitrust Lawsui

Post by jim »

What is the salary of the chicken that runs around the bases between innings? Because whatever that is, the players at the lower levels should get about 1/2 of that. Because based on market value, more people are there to see the chicken run around the bases then the guys playing baseball.

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Jocephus
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Re: Minor League Salaries Challenged in New Antitrust Lawsui

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Another week, another development on the minor league salary front. Less than six days after a federal antitrust lawsuit was filed challenging the minor league salary structure, Minor League Baseball’s (MiLB) vice president, Stanley Brand, announced at the Winter Meetings on Thursday that his organization would launch a vigorous lobbying campaign in 2015, asking Congress to pass legislation protecting the industry from federal minimum wage and maximum hour laws.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/minor-le ... imum-wage/

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Re: Minor League Salaries Challenged in New Antitrust Lawsui

Post by pioneer98 »

Jocephus wrote:
Another week, another development on the minor league salary front. Less than six days after a federal antitrust lawsuit was filed challenging the minor league salary structure, Minor League Baseball’s (MiLB) vice president, Stanley Brand, announced at the Winter Meetings on Thursday that his organization would launch a vigorous lobbying campaign in 2015, asking Congress to pass legislation protecting the industry from federal minimum wage and maximum hour laws.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/minor-le ... imum-wage/
The prospect of an MiLB lobbying campaign is no idle threat. With more than 160 teams spread throughout 42 states, minor league owners have historically been able to successfully exert their influence on a large and geographically diverse group of Congressional representatives. Such efforts led former Congressman Emanuel Celler to famously quip, “I have never known, in my 35 years of experience, as great a lobby that descended upon the House than the organized baseball lobby …. They came upon Washington like locusts.”
This is from the bio of Dave Heller, who owns the QC minor league team plus 3 others now (I think, I've kind of lost track):
In addition to his work in baseball, Heller is also regarded as one of the Democratic Party's top political media consultants and campaign strategists. As president of Main Street Communications, an award-winning political media firm, he has compiled the best won-loss record in the Democratic Party helping clients win election to Congress. His clients have won 11 out of 14 general election open seat races for Congress (open seats being the most contested races). He also handled all of the advertising for the Democrat representing the "reddest" district in the nation, Congressman Collin Peterson of Minnesota.
Well, I guess technically "Main Street Baseball" owns these teams. Heller has a business partner or two involved.

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Re: Minor League Salaries Challenged in New Antitrust Lawsui

Post by jim »

I don't know the laws and rules, but I do know that when you start comparing baseball players to hourly workers the thing kind of breaks down. They aren't hourly workers. I know plenty of people who work for far less than what would be called minimum wage hours - yeah it's a second job I guess but every HS coach in the country is probably making less than minimum wage.

The players should make enough to pay the bills - rent, food, gas etc... I agree with that. I have no doubt that the salaries should be increased, I'm not a fan of these hourly wage calculations on these players to determine that salary.

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Re: Minor League Salaries Challenged in New Antitrust Lawsui

Post by JoeMcKim »

I think that the salaries paid to minor leaguers would be fine as long as the teams provided housing and food for them. Why should a minor league player have to bother getting an apartment in a city when he could get promoted to the next level at any time the team wishes to do so? Just have the team buy a small apartment building within a mile or two of the stadium and use it as an official dormitory for the players. Each could have their own apartment which would be better then them sharing an apartment with 2 other guys like they probably do now.

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Re: Minor League Salaries Challenged in New Antitrust Lawsui

Post by Famous Mortimer »

It rules out huge swathes of poor people, anyone with a family, etc. I find the amount they pay minor leaguers to be insanely low. Wouldn't it be better for everyone if they at least earned the average yearly wage?

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