Marvin Elliott Miller (July 18, 1913 – February 8, 1985) was an American radio, film, and voice-over actor. Miller counseled Curt Flood during his Supreme Court case against the reserve clause – the provision which bound players to their teams forever – preparing Flood for an eventual loss but using the case as a trial ground for future action.Marvin Miller (far right) and John Gaherin (far left) meet with federal mediator J. Curtis Counts in an attempt to settle the players' strike, April 10, 1972. In films, the heavyset Miller was often cast as a villain, usually oriental (e.g., Blood on the Sun). Beginning in radio in St. Louis, Miller used his rich baritone voice to forge a successful career in that medium as well as in movies, on television, on stage, and as a recording artist. He worked for the government for nine years, including a stint at the National War Labor Board. He then worked as a labor economist for the International Association of Machinists, the United Auto Workers and the United Steelworkers of America – becoming the latter’s lead negotiator.Free agency began in earnest following the 1976 season, when the average major league player was making $50,000 per year.
By 1970, Miller had increased the minimum salary by more than 25 percent to $10,000 and won the right for the players to seek arbitration to resolve contract disputes. “The changes that needed to be made were so fundamental and basic that it didn’t take a rocket scientist to say what needed to be changed.”that at the end of Marvin Miller's tenure with the Players' Association the average salary for a major league baseball player had risen from $19,000 to more than $241,000?Miller served as the executive director for the Major League Baseball Players Association from 1966-82 – a time of unprecedented growth for the game.Miller was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on April 14, 1917, and graduated from New York University in 1938 with a degree in economics. Pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally played the 1975 season without signing their contracts, then contended that they were free agents due to the wording of reserve clause. He worked for the government for nine years, including a … (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)The business of baseball, with some minor exceptions, was largely controlled by management for almost 100 years.“I take a great deal of satisfaction in what we accomplished,” Miller said. Arbitrator Peter Seitz agreed, and suddenly baseball’s economic structure was thrown on its ear.National Baseball Hall of Fame and MuseumMiller’s tenure also included steering the union through work stoppages. Biography Blessed with a mellifluous speaking voice, Marvin Miller went into radio straight out of college; he appeared in more West Coast-based network programs than can possibly be catalogued here. He is probably best remembered for his role as Michael Anthony, the man who passed out a weekly check, on the TV series The Millionaire (1955).