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Panel hears bill to exempt unionized minor‑league players from state wage and record‑keeping rules
Summary
SB 263 would add minor‑league baseball players to existing Delaware exemptions from minimum-wage and record-keeping rules where terms are set by a collective bargaining agreement; MLB testified the CBA provides housing, meals, health benefits and a 2026 Single‑A minimum in‑season salary of $935 per week. Committee moved the bill but, lacking a quorum, walked it.
The House Labor Committee heard Senate Bill 263, a measure to add minor‑league baseball players to existing exemptions from Delaware's minimum wage and record‑keeping requirements so that the terms of a collective bargaining agreement govern compensation and hours for unionized minor‑league players.
Chair Ozinski said the bill, prime-sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Secola, would make clear that where players are represented by a union and compensated under a collective bargaining agreement, state wage and record-keeping rules would not apply in a manner that conflicts with the bargained terms.
Josh Alkin, senior vice president of government relations for Major League Baseball, testified in support. "To be clear, we are not here today because our collective bargaining agreement fails to meet state standards, but because both MLB and the Players Association believe that our negotiated compensation structure is most beneficial to the players," Alkin said. He listed compensation components beyond salary, including housing benefits, club‑provided meals, per diems, health and retirement benefits, tuition assistance and disability continuation.
Alkin told the committee that the 2026 minimum in‑season salary for Single‑A teams is $935 per week and argued that, because of the difficulty of tracking players' hours (including training and travel), the CBA approach avoids impractical hourly tracking and preserves player flexibility.
Committee members pressed Alkin for a clearer cash‑pay picture and the value of benefits. Representative Grama asked whether the cash pay for a six‑month season is effectively $9.63 (as referenced during the hearing); Alkin and others explained different ways of calculating cash and benefits and offered to provide a precise breakdown after the hearing. Representative Morrison said he had misgivings about precedent but would support the bill if that was the players' preference.
Alkin also noted that other states have enacted similar laws or exemptions; he listed California, New York, New Jersey, Washington, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Arkansas, Kentucky and Oregon as states with comparable measures.
A motion to release SB 263 was made and seconded, but during roll call the committee was again one vote short of the seven required and the chair said he would walk the bill to secure sufficient votes for release.
