The Major League Baseball Players Association announced on Monday that it has launched a campaign to unionize minor league players.

Union authorization cards have been sent out to minor leaguers to form a separate bargaining team from the big league players following the union’s executive board unanimously approving the new initiative, the first of its kind, on Friday.

"Minor Leaguers represent our game’s future and deserve wages and working conditions that befit elite athletes who entertain millions of baseball fans nationwide," MLBPA executive director Tony Clark said in an official statement. "They’re an important part of our fraternity and we want to help them achieve their goals both on and off the field."