Fangraphs: Scout Hiring and Pay Practices Challenged in New Lawsuit

[weams]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/scout-hiring-and-pay-practices-challenged-in-new-lawsuit/

MLB's pay practices have come under considerable scrutiny in recent years. In 2013 and 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor launched a series of investigations examining whether several MLB teams violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) by failing to pay their clubhouse attendants, administrative workers, and interns in accordance with the FLSA?s minimum wage and overtime requirements.

At the same time, MLB has also been hit with four different lawsuits over the last two years alleging that the league's pay practices violate the FLSA and/or federal antitrust law. The most notable of these cases were two suits filed last year contending that MLB teams routinely fail to pay their minor-league players either the minimum wage or overtime. Those cases - which assert that minor leaguers often earn as little as $3,300 per year-currently remain pending against 22 MLB teams.

Now, yet another group of MLB employees is coming forward to challenge MLB's pay practices. In a new class action lawsuit filed last week in New York federal court, former Kansas City Royals scout Jordan Wyckoff contends that MLB teams have unlawfully agreed not to compete with one another for the services of their amateur and professional scouts. As a result, the suit - Wyckoff v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball - asserts that a number of MLB scouts currently make less than the minimum wage and are not paid overtime, even when working more than 40 hours in a given week.

[hoosiers]

Interesting article, nice find.

IMO, this is embarrassing for MLB. These scouts and minor leaguers are working.

Sure, these guys are making $ playing and/or scouting baseball, but the major and minor leagues are set up as for profit businesses that indeed make a lot of $. The owners are making $ off the labor of these scouts and players. Hence, IMO, their should be appropriate compensation in place for them.

[weams]

Interesting article, nice find.

IMO, this is embarrassing for MLB. These scouts and minor leaguers are working.

Sure, these guys are making $ playing and/or scouting baseball, but the major and minor leagues are set up as for profit businesses that indeed make a lot of $. The owners are making $ off the labor of these scouts and players. Hence, IMO, their should be appropriate compensation in place for them.

Not unlike the Nfl college relationship.

[Three Run Homer]

MLB is swimming in money. They can afford to pay their low level employees according to the law.

[scOtt]

MLB is swimming in money. They can afford to pay their low level employees according to the law.

What are we talking about for a team? "Clubhouse attendants, administrative workers, and interns" and then scouts. 200? 250 employees? That's a small company. One night's gate would cover that for the year.

[olehippi]

You have to remember that many of these players received bonus money when they signed. Some got a lot of money.

This from sports attorney, Jeff Blank:

Minor League Salary

Until a minor league player is placed on a 40-man roster, monthly salaries are $1150 for the short season teams, $1300 for low A and $1500 for high A. For players repeating a year at the same level, the salary goes up $50 each year. For AA, the monthly salary is $1700 and it goes up $100 per month for subsequent years. For AAA, the monthly salary is $2150 per month and it goes up to $2400 the second year and $2700 the third year.

If a player becomes a minor league free agent, higher salaries can be negotiated.

A player must be placed on the team’s 40-man roster or be subject to the Rule 5 Draft at the end of his fourth season (if signed at age 19 or higher) or fifth season (if signed at age 18 or lower).

Salary for first year on 40-man roster:

2013: $39,900

2014: $40,750

Salary for second year on 40-man roster or if one or more days of Major League service time:

2013: $79,900

2014: $81,750

Meal money is $25 per road day.

Minor league salary must be at least 60% of the player’s combined minor league and Major League salary in the preceding season.

[Barnaby Graves]

Good.

By the way this thread may get very political.

[scOtt]

Good.

By the way this thread may get very political.

Hope not. That's frowned upon.