ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the history of labor relations in professional sports and discusses the current collective bargaining agreements in place in the major professional leagues. The National Labor Relations Board agreed with the players, and ultimately, the board's conclusions were upheld by a federal appeals court, and with this victory, the players ended the strike and returned to work in April 1995. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) lists a series of activities known as "unfair labor practices". Violations result in sanctions by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an administrative agency created under the statute. Other major league sports have some independent grievance arbitration process for player discipline, but the National Football League Players Association decided not to press for a similar system. Over the last quarter-century, the National Hockey League has had the most contentious labor issues of all the major league sports.
