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A18
SPORTSSaturday 24 March 2018
Baseball players in minors to lose minimum wage protection
By RONALD BLUM
Minor league baseball
players who make as little
as $5,500 a season were
stripped of the protection
of federal minimum wage
laws under a provision in
government spending leg-
islation signed Friday.
The "Save America's Pas-
time Act" is included on
page 1,967 of the $1.3 tril-
lion spending bill and ap-
pears to pre-empt a lawsuit
filed four years ago in U.S.
District Court in San Francis- lot of money are able to
co by three players alleg-
ing Major League Baseball
and its teams violate the
Fair Labor Standards Act
and state minimum wage
and overtime requirements
for a work week they esti-
mated at 50-to-60 hours.
The provision in the legisla-
tion exempts "any employ-
ee employed to play base-
ball who is compensated
pursuant to a contract that
provides for a weekly salary
for services performed dur-
ing the league's champion-
ship season (but not spring
training or the offseason) at
a rate that is not less than
a weekly salary equal to
the minimum wage ... for
a workweek of 40 hours, ir-
respective of the number
of hours the employee de-
votes to baseball related
activities." The House ap-
proved the spending bill
Thursday, the Senate fol-
lowed early Friday and
President Donald Trump
signed the bill in the after-
MIAMI OPEN
Continued from Page 17
"It happened very fast,"
Djokovic said. "I'm just in
general trying everything
I can. I'm not at the level
that I used to be. I'm aware
of that. I just have to obvi-
ously believe in myself, and
hopefully it will come."
In women's play, Naomi
Osaka's breakthrough win-
ning streak ended with a
loss to No. 4-seeded Elina
Svitolina 6-4, 6-2. Osaka
said began feeling ill be-
fore the match but didn't
want to retire after upset-
ting eight-time champion
Serena Williams in the first
round.
The 20-year-old Osaka is
ranked a career-high 22nd
In this July 15, 2001, file photo, the Staten Island Yankees practice before a baseball game salaries for players on 40-
against the Brooklyn Cyclones at KeySpan Park in Coney Island, N.Y. man rosters: $545,000 for
those in the major leagues
noon. "Instead of going lobbying expenses in both ing bill is nearly identical this season, $88,900 for 40-
through the regular com- 2016 and 2017, up from to a stand-alone bill intro- man roster players in the
mittee process where it has $330,000 in 2015, accord- duced in 2016 by Repub- minors signing at least their
a hearing, all of this was ing to the nonpartisan Cen- lican Rep. Brett Guthrie of second big league con-
done in secret and a in a ter for Responsive Politics. Kentucky and Democratic tract and $44,500 for 40-
very rushed manner," Gar- MLB paid $400,000 each of Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois. man roster players in the
rett Broshuis, the lawyer for those years to an outside At the time, the pair said minors signing their first big
the players, said Thursday. firm, the Duberstein Group, the exemption from mini- league contract. While ear-
"It's emblematic of how which reported lobbying mum wage laws was nec- ly selections in the annual
things are getting done in the House and Senate on essary because without it, draft of players residing in
Washington these days, the issue, as did MLB's in- minor leagues would have the United States, Canada
where the people with a house lobbyist. to make cuts that could and Puerto Rico, and top
"We aren't billionaire busi- imperil teams and hurt the amateurs from the rest of
flex their political muscle ness owners and billionaire economy in cities where the world can command
and make a lot of contribu- team owners," said Broshi- they play. signing bonuses as high as
tions and get things done us, a minor league pitcher Only major league play- about $8 million under the
in secret that benefit only from 2004-09 who later be- ers are unionized, and current rules, monthly mini-
them." Major League Base- came a lawyer. their collective bargaining mum salaries for most play-
ball spent $1.32 million on The language in the spend- agreement sets minimum ers on minor league rosters
are low: $1,100 at rookie
ball and Class A, $1,500 at
Double-A and $2,150 at Tri-
ple-A. Players also receive
a $25 per diem on the road
and dinner at the ballpark
following games. Teams
have spent just under $289
million on signing bonuses
for last year's amateur draft
picks and about $150 mil-
lion on international ama-
teurs in the signing period
that started July 2. MLB
calculates the average
monthly salaries last year at
$10,000 in Triple-A, $3,000 in
Double-A, $1,600 at upper-
level Class A and $1,300
at lower-level A-ball. Doug
Andres, a spokesman for
House Speaker Paul Ryan,
did not respond to an email
seeking comment.
q
Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, walks to his chair during his match lems with his racket-swing- game of the match.
against Benoit Paire, of France, at the Miami Open tennis tour- ing arm, saying it had been When asked if he expects
nament, Friday, March 23, 2018, in Key Biscayne, Fla. Paire won bothering him for more to regain his champion-
6-3, 6-4. than a year. He was side- ship level, Djokovic said he
lined again after this year's didn't know. He was also
Associated Press Australian Open and said noncommittal about his
he had a "small medical schedule for the upcoming
and won her first career title Djokovic sat out the last half intervention" on his elbow. clay season.
last week at Indian Wells. of 2017 because of prob- The 12-time Grand Slam "I don't want to sit here and
champion didn't seem to whine about my last cou-
favor it against Paire, but ple of years," Djokovic said.
his shots lacked their usually "The truth is that it wasn't
snap and sometimes were easy. Obviously, I compro-
awkwardly struck, includ- mised my game and the
ing the last two on match movement and everything
point. because of the injury. I'm
In the first set Djokovic trying to figure things out."
served with a chance to The latest loss was Djokov-
reach 5-all, but from 40-0 he ic's first at Key Biscayne
lost five consecutive points since 2013. He missed last
and the set. Another dismal year's Miami Open but won
stretch came when he was the title three consecutive
broken at love in the final years in 2014-16.q