“Swing, Miss, and Repeat: Florida’s Pro Baseball Players to Hit Less Than Minimum Wage💸⚾”
TL;DR:
“Florida Governor Ron DeSantis scribbles his John Hancock on a bill that’ll have minor-league baseballers making less dough than the local pizza guy, courtesy of a slick exemption to the state’s minimum wage law. Florida’s answer to a higher minimum wage? Not for everyone, folks. Batter up, maybe? 🤔💰⚾”
Full Story:
Batter up, boys and girls of the Sunshine State! 🌞⚾ While some of you are hard at work flipping burgers or making magic at the Mouse House, the folks tossing balls around at the diamond might just be earning less than you. Why, you ask? Because the state’s head honcho, Governor Ron DeSantis, decided that professional baseball in Florida can take a fast ball to the financial kneecaps! 😮💸
On a normal day, DeSantis’ to-do list might look something like “sign off on 17 bills, take a power nap, solve a crossword puzzle”. But this Monday, amidst his routine law signing, was a curious little gem: SB 892, an exemption to Florida’s minimum wage law specifically for professional baseball players. Talk about a curveball! 📜⚾
This move isn’t just some out-of-the-blue wild pitch, though. It’s actually a nod to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which also has a sweet little safe spot for baseball players, along with other roles like casual babysitters, seasonal amusement workers, and border patrol agents. I mean, who doesn’t love a good loophole? 🕳️💁♀️
And don’t worry, there are some rules to this game. It’s not a total free-for-all. The players have to receive a weekly salary equal to minimum wage… for a 40-hour work week. Sounds fair, right? Except, well, when you consider Congress’s 2018 amendment to the federal law set the minor-league minimum at $290 a week. Yup, that’s the equivalent of $7.25 an hour, folks. And overtime eligibility? Swing and a miss! ⏱️💰
Meanwhile, Florida’s voters backed a constitutional amendment in 2020 to bump the minimum wage up a buck a year, reaching a grand total of $15 by 2026. Now that’s a home run! Oh wait, not if you’re playing baseball professionally. In that case, your minimum wage is stuck at $11 and due for a raise to $12 this September. It’s like being stuck on first base while everyone else is rounding the diamond. 🏃♂️💔
But why this lowball offer to the baseball industry? Well, sponsor Brad Yeager, R-New Port Richey, was all doom and gloom about the possibility of teams limiting access to training facilities or benching players to avoid exceeding weekly work-hour limits. So basically, if you can’t pay ’em, play ’em less, right? 😕👀
And the left-fielders weren’t having any of it. The Democrats were quick to cry foul, saying the bill was a nod to the “billionaire” big league team owners. And no, they’re not just talking about Monopoly money. 💵🎩
So, Florida, ready to step up to the plate and weigh in on this one? Do you think it’s fair play to keep pro ball players in the minor leagues of wage-earning, or is this a bad call that deserves to be sent back to the dugout?
