Bernie Sanders Is Trying to Save Minor League Baseball — and Get Its Players a Raise
Major League Baseball is threatening to sever ties with scores of minor league teams in an apparent attempt to cut costs. But Bernie Sanders is resisting the plan — and insisting that MLB instead grant minor leaguers a living wage and union representation.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders shares a laugh as he warms up before his baseball game against the Leaders Believers Achievers Foundation at the Field of Dreams Baseball field on August 19, 2019 in Dyersville, Iowa. Joshua Lott / Getty
Last December, Marvin Miller was finally inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Miller, who died in 2012, served as the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) from 1966 to 1982, transforming the union into one of the strongest in the country.
When Miller took over, Major League Baseball (MLB) still had the “reserve clause,” which effectively gave team owners complete control over player contracts. Franchises could trade, release, or sell players, but the players had no leverage of their own. If someone wanted to switch teams, they could only do so if the owner granted them an unconditional release.
In 1969, Miller took up the cause of St Louis Cardinals center fielder Curt Flood. “I do not feel I am a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes,” Flood wrote to commissioner Bowie Kuhn, asking for free agency. Six years later, the reserve clause was eliminated.
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