U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL) has withdrawn her support of the Save America’s Pastime Act, a legislative proposal she co-sponsored with U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY) when they introduced it in the House of Representatives last week.
The move comes one day after Minor League Baseball announced its support of the bill, which was drawn up in response to the California lawsuit seeking better pay for minor-league baseball players. The largely negative response to the bill went viral Wednesday, and Bustos took notice.
Bustos, a longtime resident of the Quad Cities area, issued the following statement today:
Minor League Baseball teams are an important part of the economic and social fabric of communities across our nation, including the Quad Cities and Peoria, in our Congressional District,” Congresswoman Bustos said. “In the last 24 hours, several concerns about the bill have been brought to my attention that have led me to immediately withdraw my support of the legislation.
Sports have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and while it’s important to sustain Minor League Baseball teams that provide economic support to small communities across America, I cannot support legislation that does so at the expense of the players that draw us to stadiums like those in the Quad Cities and Peoria.
Whether it’s on the factory floor, in classrooms, or on the playing fields of one of America’s revered traditions, I strongly support raising the minimum wage and the right to collective bargaining for fair wages, and I believe that Major League Baseball can and should pay young, passionate minor-league players a fair wage for the work they do.
The Midwest League Traveler 