Marvin Miller
From BR Bullpen
- School New York University
- High School James Monroe High School
- Born April 14, 1917 in Brooklyn, NY
Marvin Miller was head of the Major League Baseball Players Association from 1966 to 1983. He was responsible for negotiation baseball's first collective bargainining agreement in 1968. He was a key figure in the development of free agency, and he led the players through strikes in 1972 and 1981. Hank Aaron said he was "as important to the history of baseball as Jackie Robinson.
After earning his degree in economics, Miller worked for the War Labor Board during World War II. In 1950, he became staff economist of the United Steel Workers Union. He worked his way up to the chief research director of the USWA and assistant to the president. When questioned as to his involvement in the previously-weak MLBPA given his powerful role with the steelworkers union, Miller explained that he grew up near Ebbets Field as a Brooklyn Dodgers fan and wanted to advocate for the players in the game he loved.
After stepping down as the head of the MLBPA, Miller consulted with the union for several years and worked during the 1990 lockout. He is the author of A Whole Different Ballgame.
Source: The Big Book of Jewish Baseball by Peter Horvitz and Joachim Horvitz
