MLBPA joins AFL-CIO amid push to unionize minor league baseball players

The MLBPA made the joint announcement on Wednesday

The Major League Baseball Players Association is joining the AFL-CIO, union head Tony Clark announced in Washington on Wednesday alongside AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler. 

The MLBPA currently represents players on the 40-man rosters of all 30 teams in MLB. However, they are presently working to expand membership to include affiliated minor league players. The AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) is the largest federation of unions in the United States and right now includes 58 unions under its umbrella. The MLBPA will be a part of the AFL-CIO's sports council, which includes unions representing football, including the NFLPA, and men's and women's soccer. 

"The MLBPA has a proud, 56-year history of success rooted in unity and a highly engaged membership," Clark said in a statement released by the MLBPA. "We look forward to bringing that history and experience to bear as a more formal part of the movement." 

"The MLBPA and every single one of its 1,200 players have a home in our movement because this union understands and lives the meaning of the word solidarity by leveraging the power of sports and helping others," Shuler said in that same statement. "Together, with our 12.5 million members, we will bring our strength to their fights, including working to organize 5,400 minor league players." 

The MLBPA's efforts to represent minor leaguers and secure them better pay and working conditions recently cleared an important first hurdle when the majority of minor league players signed authorization cards in favor of unionization. That figure is more than enough needed to trigger a formal vote on unionization, but the MLBPA has asked MLB to formally recognize the addition of minor-league players to the union prior to such a formal vote. There is no deadline for MLB to make a decision on that request.