LOS ANGELES — Tony Clark appears set to continue as president of Major League Baseball Players.
“There is a lot of work to be done and I am more than committed to continuing to do it,” the former first baseman and all-star selector for the American Baseball Writers Association said Tuesday.
Clark, 50, took over the union presidency in late 2013 after Michael Weiner’s death.
Clark, the union’s executive director, led labor negotiations in 2016 and during the March deal that followed the 99-day shutdown. The new agreement expires in December 2016.
Bruce Meyer has led the day-to-day negotiations during recent talks and was promoted last week to deputy executive director of the union from the position of senior director of legal and collective bargaining.
The union’s main decisions are approved by the 38-member Executive Committee, which includes eight members of the Executive Subcommittee.
Seven of the eight members of the Executive Subcommittee earned $12 million or more in 2021 and the rest earned $3.5 million.
Although the subcommittee voted 8-0 against approving the five-year contract, players’ representatives 26-4 in favour, for an overall score of 26-12 in favor of ratification.
Clark said the voices of the lowest-paid members of the union are being heard.
“Veteran players are the most vocal about improving the system for young players,” Clark said.
“They are aware of the changes in the game, because they are on teams with the young players and they want to tell them that they support them when they are at the negotiating table.”
The deal included $50 million in annual funding for players not yet eligible to arbitrate.
Clarke said the players were led by “the recognition that young players bring more value and that this must also come true”.
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