NEW YORK — Major League Baseball players were granted $50,000 by the union to their ununionized minor-league counterparts.
According to the U.S. Labor Department’s annual financial disclosure, dated March 31, filed by Major League Baseball Players Association, the payment was made November 2021.
Union representation is available to players on 40-man rosters of major league baseball. The minimum salary for major league players is $700,000, while $57,200 is for minor league players. The weekly minimum for ununionized minor league players is $500 per week at Class A; $600 at Double A and $700 at Triple A over the five-month season.
The union paid $2,223,064 in 2021 to Winston & Strawn, the law firm of Jeffrey Kessler. The firm was retained by the union to represent them in the grievance against MLB for the pandemic-shortened 2020 seasons. This case was dropped as part of the memorandum o agreement for a labor deal running until December 2026. This agreement ended a 99 day lockout.
The union had $271.2million in cash and U.S. Treasury securities as investments Dec. 31. This was up from $178.5million by 2020, $159.5million by 2019, $102.4million at 2018 and $80.1million at 2017. The union prepares for bargaining by withholding license money due to players and making it available to be disbursed during or after a strike.
Tony Clark, the Union head, was rewarded with a 2.25 million dollar salary. Bruce Meyer, chief negotiator of the Union, earned $1 million.
In 2021, the union didn’t give any money to Players Trust. Last year, Amy Hever was hired as its new director.