(The Center Square) – A Wisconsin bill would create an exemption to employment law that would make Minor League Baseball players in the state salaried workers and not eligible for overtime pay.
The exemption would only apply to the about 60 players for Wisconsin’s two Major League Baseball affiliates, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in Appleton and the Beloit Sky Carp.
The bill does not apply to independent league teams or other baseball teams in the state.
Similar bills have been passed in both red and blue states, sponsor Rep. Alex Dallman, R-Markesan, told the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Labor and Economic Development.
He noted that Arkansas, California, Florida, Indiana and New York had already passed similar bills.
Senate Bill 374 is supported by both Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players’ Association, according to Sen. Dan Feyen, R-Fond du Lac.
Minor League Baseball players are part of a 2023 collective bargaining contract that runs through 2027.
That first CBA included increased benefits for players, including team-paid health benefits, pay increases and an increased housing allowance, according to Feyen. Players are now paid weekly throughout the year, not just during the season.
If the bill did not pass, teams would have to track all work-related activities for players and count rehab, any training and time spent at the ballpark or with the team toward overtime requirements.
“Being a professional baseball player is a unique job, to say the least,” Feyen said.
The Office of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball lobbied for the bill in Wisconsin, recording $46,000 in expenses between January and June in that effort, according to information posted by the Wisconsin Ethics Commission.
