Minor League players appeal MLB wage lawsuit dismissal

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Update:

• A group of minor league baseball players appealed the dismissal of a proposed wage class action lawsuit accusing Major League Baseball (MLB) of underpaying the players and suppressing their bargaining power.
• A magistrate judge dismissed the complaint last week, determining the statute of limitations for the players’ claims had expired and MLB is not bound by antitrust laws. 
• The minor league players argue MLB’s 30 organizations colluded to restrict and depress their wages in an alleged violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. 
• The players belonged to minor league affiliates for the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants in various years from between 2010 and 2019.

MLB minor league wage class action lawsuit overview: 

• Who: Major League Baseball has urged a federal court in Puerto Rico to dismiss claims brought against it by three minor league players. 
• Why: The MLB argues it is protected from competition claims on account of its antitrust exemption status, while citing a recent dismissal in a New York federal court.  
• Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in Puerto Rico federal court. 

(Nov. 21, 2022)

Major League Baseball (MLB) has urged a federal court in Puerto Rico to toss a wage class action claiming the league underpaid minor league players and limited their bargaining power. 

In its request for dismissal, the MLB cited a case brought against the league by minor leagues teams that had their affiliations cut that had been dismissed by a New York federal court, Law360 reports. 

A trio of minor league players are, with their claims, reportedly trying to reverse a 100-year-old MLB antitrust exemption and boost working conditions and salaries for themselves. 

The minor leaguers claim the MLB restricts their ability to try and get higher pay, while simultaneously underpaying them with below-market salaries, sometimes as low as $12,000 a year, Law360 reports. 

The MLB is also accused of using a slotting system that allows a team to control a player for as long as seven years and puts a limit on the signing bonuses that a minor league team can offer players. 

MLB argues it is protected from competition claims due to its antitrust exemption status

The MLB, meanwhile, argues it is protected from competition claims due to its long-held antitrust exemption status, which a New York federal judge agreed with when he tossed claims brought by three minor league teams last month, Law360 reports. 

The judge reportedly determined that, while the claims were plausible, he had to throw out the case due to the leagues exemption, which he said has been upheld since being affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1922. 

Earlier this month, the MLB agreed to pay $185 to resolve separate claims it failed to pay its minor league players a legal minimum wage. 

Have you been underpaid by your employer? Let us know in the comments. 

The minor leaguers are represented by Samuel Kornhauser of the Law Offices of Samuel Kornhauser, Brian David of the Law Offices of Brian David and Rafael Baella-Silva of B&B Law Firm PSC

The MLB minor league wage class action lawsuit is Concepcion, et al. v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, et al., Case No. 3:22-cv-01017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. 

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