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Update:
- A California federal judge granted final approval for Major League Baseball (MLB)’s $185 million wage settlement with minor league players.
- On March 29, U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero issued a 36-page order stating each class member will receive an average of $5,000 to $5,500, calling the ruling “fair, reasonable and adequate.”
- Players claim they were paid as little as $1,100 a month during a five-month season and little or nothing for required postseason and off-season activity.
- A group of players, the Marti plaintiffs, objected to the deal, citing that they played during championship seasons outside the California league.
- U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero overruled the Marti plaintiffs’ objections, according to the order..
- Spero’s approval ends a 2014 lawsuit alleging MLB’s pay practices violate the Fair Labor Standards Act and several states’ labor laws.
MLB Minor League Pay Class Action Lawsuit Overview:
- Who: Major League Baseball and classes of minor leaguers have reached a settlement agreement to resolve claims the latter was underpaid.
- Why: Minor leaguers claim MLB violated state labor laws and the Fair Labor Standards Act.
- Where: The class action lawsuit is being litigated in California federal court.
(May 12, 2022)
Major League Baseball (MLB) has reached a deal with classes of minor leaguers claiming they were underpaid by the league.
News of the agreement, which was presented to a California federal judge on Tuesday, came only days before the minor leaguer’s claims were set to go to trial on June 1.
Counsel for the minor leaguers and the MLB told the judge that a settlement in principle was in place and asked for the trial and all pretrial proceedings to be stayed as the details of the agreement are worked out.
The MLB and minor leaguers said they plan to file a request for preliminary approval for the settlement agreement by July 11.
The judge overseeing the case accepted the request and scheduled a case management conference to take place on Aug. 19, Law360 reports.
“The parties are pleased to inform the court that they have reached a settlement of the matter in principle,” counsel for the MLB and the minor leaguers said in a letter to the judge.” The parties have agreed upon a confidential memorandum of understanding. The settlement is subject to ratification by the respective parties, and we are in the process of preparing the settlement documents.”
MLB Class Action Alleges Violations of Fair Labor Standards Act, State Labor Laws
The minor leaguers filed the complaint against MLB back in 2014, arguing they were paid as little as $1,100 a month while accusing the league of violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
The current lawsuit includes four certified classes based on state labor laws in Florida, Arizona and California and then a collective action under the FLSA, Law360 reports.
In March, the court found MLB at fault for claims of minimum wage violations in Arizona and California with $1.8 million awarded to the California class, Law360 reports.
Minor leaguers in the California Class went on the defensive in December when they implored the court to deny MLB’s request to have testimony from their expert witness excluded.
What do you think of the settlement between MLB and minor league players? Let us know in the comments!
The letter was submitted on behalf of the MLB and minor leaguers by Elise M. Bloom of Proskauer Rose LLP; Clifford H. Pearson of Pearson, Simon & Warshaw LLP; and Stephen M. Tillery of Korein Tillery, LLC.
The MLB Minor League Pay Class Action Lawsuit is Senne, et al. v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, et al., Case No. 3:14-cv-00608, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
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