More than one year since Minor League Baseball players officially joined the MLB Players Association (MLBPA), they elected their first association representatives and alternate representatives during a vote as part of an executive board meeting in Las Vegas.
Cameron Junker of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, and William Simoneit of the Oakland Athletics, were voted association player representatives by the 30 Minor League player reps.
A.J. Lewis of the Colorado Rockies, and Jake Walters of the Miami Marlins, were selected as alternate association player representatives.
Junker, Simoneit, Lewis and Walters will each serve two-year terms, and upon their respective tenures concluding a new vote will be held. The quartet formed an executive subcommittee to join the MLBPA executive board that also includes 30 player representatives — one from each team.
In today’s @MLBPA historic first joint session of the Major and Minor League Executive Boards, the Minor Leaguers elected their first Executive Subcommittee members. Congratulations to @CameronJunker @ajaylewis @WSimoooh @J_Walt16 pic.twitter.com/QiD9KAUlOk
— MiLB Players (@Milb_players) November 29, 2023
The executive board meeting was attended by both MLB players and Minor Leaguers.
Minor League Baseball players added to MLBPA
Minor Leaguers were joined the MLBPA in September 2022, when an arbitrator validated the union-authorization cards and Major League Baseball voluntarily recognized the group as the players’ bargaining representatives. The Minor League union has more than 5,500 players.
“I applaud this extraordinary group of young Players and welcome them to the MLBPA,” MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said in a statement at the time.
“This historic achievement required the right group of Players at the right moment to succeed. Minor Leaguers have courageously seized that moment, and we look forward to improving their terms and conditions of employment through the process of good faith collective bargaining.
“I also want to acknowledge the tireless efforts of Harry Marino and the dedicated group he led at Advocates for Minor Leaguers, without whom this historic organizing campaign would not have been possible.”
In April 2023, the first Minor League collective bargaining agreement (CBA) was ratified through a 30-0 vote by MLB team owners.
Earlier this year, a new Minor League Baseball logo was unveiled to more closely tie it to MLB’s iconic logo.
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