U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) intends to introduce a new bill, named the Fair Ball Act, to "further protect minor league baseball players from previous legislation that exempted them from wage-and-hour laws," according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Durbin's bill would roll back parts of Save America's Pastime Act, passed as part of a much larger spending bill in 2018 that made players exempt from components of the Fair Labor Standards Act -- specifically with respect to minimum wage requirements. Prior to the Save America's Pastime Act, Major League Baseball had avoided having to pay minor-league players minimum wage by claiming they were "seasonal workers."
Minor-league players have since formed a union, with the union subsequently reaching its first Collective Bargaining Agreement with MLB in March 2023 -- as part of that pact, players across the sport received raises. It should be noted that MLB voluntarily acknowledged the minor-league union. Ever the same, Durbin remains interested in undoing parts of the Save America's Pastime Act.
"Workers deserve a fair playing field everywhere -- including in baseball," Durbin said as part of a statement issued to ESPN. "Executives at MLB lobbied Congress hard for federal wage and hour law exemptions in order to avoid legal liability with the 2018 Save America's Pastime Act.
"While I commend MLB for voluntarily recognizing the unionization of Minor League Baseball players in 2022, it is time to roll back SAPA in deference to the gains made by that historic unionization. I'm proud to stand with these workers, unions and the integrity of the sport. I stand ready to pass the Fair Ball Act into law."
It's unclear when, precisely, Durbin will present the Fair Ball Act, or if it will end up being folded into a larger bill.
