Michael S. Weiner (December 21, 1961 – November 21, 2013) was an American attorney who served as the

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

of the

Major League Baseball Players Association The Major League Baseball Players Association (or MLBPA) is the union representing all current Major League Baseball players. All players, managers, coaches, and athletic trainers who hold or have held a signed contract with a Major League club ...

for four years. He assumed the role on June 22, 2009, replacing

Donald Fehr Donald Martin Fehr (born July 18, 1948) is the fifth executive director of the NHL Players Association, since 2010. He became nationally prominent while serving as the executive director of the MLB Players Association from 1983 to 2009. Life an ...

, becoming only the fifth executive director of the union. Weiner joined the organization in September 1988 and had been

general counsel A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department. In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...

since 2004.

Biography

He was born in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Pompton Lakes, New Jersey Pompton Lakes is a borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 11,097,Pompton Lakes High School Pompton Lakes High School (PLHS) is a four-year comprehensive public high school in the borough of Pompton Lakes in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as the lone secondary school of the Pompton Lakes School District. The sch ...

. With Weiner at the helm, the union signed an agreement in November 2011 for a five-year contract running until December 2016, which ensured 21 consecutive years of labor peace in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

. The agreement allowed for blood testing for

human growth hormone Growth hormone (GH) or somatotropin, also known as human growth hormone (hGH or HGH) in its human form, is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration in humans and other animals. It is thus important in h ...

, introduced restraints on bonuses for amateur draft picks and international signings, and restored salary arbitration eligibility for part of a class of players that lost it in the 1980s. Weiner received his undergraduate degree in political economy from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...

in 1983. He graduated from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

in 1986. From 1986 to 1988, Michael served as law clerk to

H. Lee Sarokin Haddon Lee Sarokin (November 25, 1928 – June 20, 2023) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and a former United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District ...

, then United States District Court Judge, in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Mansfield Township, Warren County, New Jersey Mansfield Township is a township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 7,725, reflecting an increase of 1,072 (+16.1%) from the 6,653 counted in the 2000 Census, which ...

, Weiner was an active congregant of the Jewish Center of Northwest Jersey in Warren County Weiner was diagnosed with a brain tumor in August 2012, and died 15 months later, on November 21, 2013. He was 51 years old. He was succeeded by his deputy,

Tony Clark Anthony Christopher Clark (born June 15, 1972) is an American professional baseball player and executive. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from 1995 to 2009 and is the sixth executive director of the Major League Baseball P ...

, the first former Major League Baseball player to lead the union.

References

External links

MLBPA Bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiner, Michael Major League Baseball Players Association executive directors Major League Baseball labor relations Harvard Law School alumni Sportspeople from Paterson, New Jersey People from Pompton Lakes, New Jersey Pompton Lakes High School alumni Williams College alumni 1961 births 2013 deaths New Jersey lawyers Deaths from brain cancer in the United States Jewish American baseball people Sportspeople from Passaic County, New Jersey Sportspeople from Warren County, New Jersey 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American Jews