MLB to pay US$185m in settlement with
minor league baseball players
Major League Baseball (MLB) is set to pay a settlement of US$185 million after minor league players filed a federal-class action lawsuit seeking pay for minimum wage and overtime violations.
The suit, filed in February 2014 by former Miami Marlins minor league player Aaron Senne no just and two other retired minor league players, was settled on 10th May, three weeks before it was due to go to trial.
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Thousands of players will now be eligible to receive part of the US$120,197,300 sum, with the remainder covering attorney’s fees and other costs. The settlement is pending a judge approval.
MLB will also allow teams to pay minor league players during spring training, and extended spring training and instructional leagues in Florida and Arizona. Teams has previously been forbidden from doing so.
- The suit alleged that MLB teams had violated federal and state minimum-wage and overtime laws. The US Supreme Court denied the league’s attempt to dismiss the case in October 2020. The settlement means MLB has avoided greater potential damages.Some minor league players continue to earn below the poverty line salaries after the US Congress passed a bill in March 2018 that exempted them from federal minimum-wage and overtime laws. Currently, there are more than 5,000 minor league players and the majority make between US$4,800 and US$14,700 annually. Players have been paid only during their season.