After a 15-year playing career, Tony Clark joined the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) in 2010 as director of player relations.
Clark held that position for three years before he was unanimously voted the new executive director in December 2013 following the passing of his predecessor, Michael Weiner.
Clark negotiated his first collective bargaining agreement (CBA) on behalf of the MLBPA in 2016 and did so again last year. The latest round of talks led to the sport’s first work stoppage since the 1994-95 strike, but a new deal was reached in time to save a full 162-game season.
The players achieved several notable gains in the new CBA, which improved Clark’s outlook. According to Evan Drellich of The Athletic, Clark was recently rewarded with a five-year contract extension:
On Monday, the players rewarded their executive director with a five-year extension, a union official told The Athletic, putting Clark in line to oversee a third major league collective bargaining negotiation.
Clark’s new contract extension runs through the 2026 season, which means he will be in position to lead the players through the next deal as well.
Along with negotiating two CBAs since 2016, Clark helped navigate players through the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and more recently played a key role in Minor Leaguers joining the union.
Bruce Meyer among MLBPA staff promotions
Earlier this year, the MLBPA announced several promotions among its senior staff that will further improve the union’s ability to protect players’ rights.
Bruce Meyer was promoted to Deputy Executive Director, Ian Penny was promoted to Senior Advisor to the Executive Director, Matt Nussbaum was promoted to General Counsel, Kevin Slowey was promoted to Senior Director, Player Services, Chris Capuano was promoted to the position of Senior Director, Operations, Business, and Strategy, and Jeff Perconte was promoted to the role of Deputy General Counsel.
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