MLB updates harassment, discrimination policies in code of conduct
Major League Baseball updated the sexual harassment and discrimination section of its workplace code of conduct, and it will provide an anonymous, third-party reporting hotline.
This comes following harassment allegations against former Mets general manager Jared Porter and Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway.
“Major League Baseball is committed to ensuring that all individuals who work in and around the game are welcomed and treated equally, with dignity, respect, and professionalism," the league said in a statement, according to Lindsay Adler of The Athletic. "To accomplish this goal, MLB and its clubs will continue to strive to create environments in which people feel safe and accepted - and when they do not, they feel comfortable speaking up without fear of recrimination, retaliation, or exclusion."
Additionally, club executives will be required to attend "anti-harassment and discrimination training."
The revisions and addition of the "Speak Up Hotline" were conducted under the supervision of Michele Meyer-Shipp, who was recently hired as the league's chief people and culture officer.
"We wanted to make it clear for people that there were several ways you could speak up," Meyer-Shipp said.
A flyer that includes information about the hotline will be distributed to clubs on Tuesday along with the updated policy. It states that repercussions could include a warning, suspension, termination, or other ramifications that clubs or the commissioner will determine. A previous version of the policy didn't explicitly detail potential punishments.
"I’m really concerned about those people who are afraid to say anything to anyone," Meyer-Shipp added. "They might not say anything for fear of reprisal. So the hotline was an added kind of avenue. It’s through a third-party vendor so that that person can make that complaint in an anonymous way, if he or she wants to.
"We really wanted to close that gap, because I just have this lingering worry that there’s somebody out there that hasn’t spoken up because they’re afraid."
In addition to consulting with the MLBPA - which approved the amendments - the league also spoke with members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America in late January.
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