Minor League Baseball players exempted from Wisconsin wage laws

(The Center Square) – Many state labor laws in Wisconsin no longer apply to Minor League Baseball players after Gov. Tony Evers signed legislation to redefine what counts as minimum wage, overtime and record keeping.

The bill allows the state’s players on the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in Appleton and the Beloit Sky Carp to adhere to the rules of a 2023 collective bargaining agreement that runs through 2027 instead of being subject to reporting hours for their jobs.

Major League Baseball Senior Vice President of Government Relations Joshua Alkin explained in a public hearing on Senate Bill 374 that the legislation would allow players to receive housing benefits, club-provided meals, per diems on the road, highly subsidized health benefits, retirement benefits, salary continuation for disability resulting from work-related injury, tuition assistance and signing bonuses that a...