Major League Baseball will no longer require teams to use the standard uniform employee contract (typically referred to as the UEC) for non-player personnel -- a group that includes managers, executives, scouts, and other front-office types, according to Evan Drellich of The Athletic. Multiple league sources have confirmed the change to CBS Sports.
MLB's commissioner's office had previously dictated the language in each contract. Now, teams will be responsible for supplying that portion of their pacts. As such, it's possible that the language and conditions of the "standard" contract varies on a team-by-team basis -- a change that could, in theory, make some clubs more or less worker-friendly, depending on their goals.
It's too early to know if and how teams will wield this new freedom. Sources familiar with the changes told CBS Sports that they expected nothing to change in the immediate future. That opinion was shared by lawyer and former minor-league player Garrett Broshius, who also told Drellich the following: "The devil's in the details. Are teams going to put in more onerous terms on their own, are they just going to continue to adhere to essentially the same thing? What's going to be the replacement there? That's the great unknown."
CBS Sports reported extensively in May on the flaws of the UEC. Some of the main criticisms include a lack of protections and how difficult it is to move from one team to another. Here's part of the story:
In-demand workers do not face a more favorable dynamic. A source recounted hearing about an employee who was approached by a superior about an interview opportunity with another club. When the employee requested time to think it over, the superior advised the employee to weigh how taking the interview without landing the job might impact their standing. Another source confirmed hearing similar stories, with superiors warning employees that taking an interview would give the impression they no longer wanted to work for the team -- something that could come up when it came time for promotions and contract renewals, exacerbating already stressful and opaque processes. "It's very, very threatening and coercive," the first source said. Another source added: "It's looked down upon if you're looking at other jobs."
Several sources expressed the opinion that front-office workers may need to unionize in order to improve their working conditions. One expressed optimism that the possibility of a front-office workers' union will pick up steam over the coming years. It's too early to know how MLB's move away from the UEC could impact that possibility.
Nevertheless, it is notable that front-office workers are one of the only groups within the baseball industry not currently under the protection of a union.
