Majority of minor league baseball players vote to support union, paving way for MLBPA membership, sources say

More than 50% of minor league players have voted to support unionizing, paving the way for players to organize and join the Major League Baseball Players Association, sources confirmed to ESPN.

In a letter sent to MLB on Tuesday morning, the union asked for voluntary recognition from the league, in which MLB would acknowledge that a majority of minor league players are seeking to unionize and formally accept the MLBPA as their bargaining representative. If the league chooses not to recognize by a date specified in the letter, the MLBPA could hold a vote through the National Labor Relations Board in which more than 50% of eligible players would need to vote in favor of unionization.

Ten days after the MLBPA sent out union authorization cards to minor league players, the percentage returned, first reported by The Athletic, far exceeded the threshold of 30% necessary for the next step in potential unionization. Minor league players have said higher wages and better working conditions are among their top priorities.

«I definitely feel scared, but this feels like the right thing to do. We're all jacked up,» said Joe Hudson, a catcher at Triple-A Durham in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. «There's some bewildered teammates who can't believe this is actually happening. Everyone is just raving with positivity, moving forward. I haven't come across one guy who's against this right now. It's really a snowball effect here.»

After decades of representing only players on major league teams' 40-man rosters, the MLBPA is seeking to grow its rank-and-file more than four-fold. The union would represent more than 5,000 players on domestic rosters and has suggested it would later consider doing the same for players on Dominican Summer