A federal judge ruled last week that Major League Baseball violated Arizona state minimum wage law in its treatment of minor league players, and is liable for triple damages.
The lawsuit was originally filed by three retired minor league players, claiming violations of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, and state minimum wage and overtime requirements.
Major League Baseball and its teams previously claimed minor league players are seasonal employees, comparing them to trainees rather than full-time players.
The judge ruled that minor league players are full-time employees, and that they perform work and are owed wages during the offseason training periods like Spring Training.
The amount of damages is still to be determined, but the original suit listed a lack of overtime compensation for work weeks estimated at 50-60 hours.
