Labor Relations and the Sports Industry

The MLBPA is the collective bargaining representative for all current Major League Baseball players, and also assists players with grievances and salary arbitration. See the MLBPA Info Tab for the text of the Major Agreement and history of the association.

The Major League Soccer Players Association serves to empower "the players by establishing a supportive community and unified voice that positively impacts the lives of our past, current and future members."

The National Basketball Officials Association (NBOA) was founded in 1973 due to labor conditions that National Basketball Association (NBA) referees deemed as unfit. At the time, the informal union believed that their salary and benefits were grossly inadequate. It was not until 1977 that the union became known as the National Association of Basketball Referees (NABR). Today, they are the National Basketball Referees Association (NBRA).

The National Football League Players Association is the union for professional football players in the National Football League.

The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) is the labour union for the professional hockey players in the National Hockey League. Established in 1967, and with headquarters in Toronto, the NHLPA’s principal role is to represent the players of the National Hockey League and to guarantee that their rights as players are upheld under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is the union for current professional basketball players in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Established in 1954, the NBPA mission is to ensure that the rights of NBA players are protected and that every conceivable measure is taken to assist players in maximizing their opportunities and achieving their goals, both on and off the court.

The NHLOA (National Hockey League Officials' Association), was born in 1969 out of a need to improve working conditions, salaries and other benefits for officials of the National Hockey League. All members are all active Officials under contract to the NHL who are working in the NHL and designated minor leagues.

The Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) is an association of independent members that seeks to represent professional soccer referees in the United States and Canada including Major League Soccer (MLS), Womens Professional Soccer (WPS) and United Soccer Leagues (USL

The WNBPA is the first and only labor union comprised of professional female athletes.