Major League Baseball Players Association

The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) is the union representing players in Major League Baseball (as the name implies) for the purposes of negotiation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The union was founded by players on December 11, 1956, with star pitcher Bob Feller as its first president, when the issue of inadequate pensions became prominent, but it really became effective when it hired labor economist Marvin Miller to be its executive director, from 1966 to 1982. The MLBPA has struck numerous blows for players' rights, such as free agency, but has often been seen as a way for the rich to get richer, as the association pays no attention to the needs of minor leaguers or amateur players subject to the amateur draft.

The MLBPA is only the latest in a long line of attempts by players to organize. Its most famous predecessor is the Brotherhood of Professional Baseball Players, in the 1880s, which led to the creation of the Players League in 1890, but there were many other attempts to organize until the current union was formed. Also notable was the Players Protective Association, active around the turn of the century and the "Players Fraternity", which was formed in 1912 and was active around the time of the creation of the Federal League in 1914.

Executive Directors

• Frank Scott (1959-1966)
• Marvin Miller (1966-1982)
• Ken Moffett (1982-1983)
• Don Fehr (1983-2010)
• Michael Weiner (2010-2013)
• Tony Clark (2013-)

Further Reading

• Michael Haupert: "Marvin Miller and the Birth of the MLBPA", Baseball Research Journal, SABR, Vol. 46, Nr. 1 (Spring 2017), pp. 16-22.
• Marvin Miller: A Whole Different Ball Game: The Inside Story of the Baseball Revolution, Ivan R. Dee Publishers, Chicago, IL, 2004. ISBN 1566635993
• Krister Swanson: Baseball's Power Shift: How the Players Union, the Fans, and the Media Changed American Sports Culture, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, NE, 2016. ISBN 978-0-8032-5523-4

Related Sites

• The MLBPA's official web site.