Statement of MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark regarding Wisconsin "Right to Work" legislation

Phoenix, AZ, Wednesday, February 25, 2015 … Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark today issued the following statement regarding attempts in Wisconsin to pass "Right to Work" legislation.

"The Major League Baseball Players Association stands with our brothers and sisters in organized labor and deplores the current attempts in Wisconsin to undermine the collective voices of working people by seeking passage of so-called "Right to Work" legislation. We are proud to be among the ranks of labor unions that negotiate the terms and conditions of employment for their members, sitting across the table from management as equal parties under the federal law that guarantees the right to union representation. This state legislation is nothing more than an obvious attempt to undermine those rights and that power.  

"The 1200 members of the MLBPA - every 40-man roster Player on every one of the thirty Major League clubs, including the Milwaukee Brewers - have achieved much through collective bargaining, including a fair pension, good health insurance and a grievance and arbitration process. None of these gains were achieved without a struggle. At every juncture, the Players had to stand up for themselves to assert their rights and demonstrate their solidarity. The benefits the Players now enjoy - free agency, salary arbitration, and a right to a fair share of the profits made in the baseball industry - all came about because the Players had the courage to act as a group and unite across all the lines that employers have historically used to divide workers. We urge the members of the Wisconsin legislature to reject this anti-union and anti-worker legislation. "