Silverman v. Major League Baseball Player Relations Committee (Silverman II)
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
880 F. Supp. 246 (S.D.N.Y. 1995)
The PRC (defendant), bargaining for MLB club owners, unilaterally eliminated the existing free-agency system and salary arbitration process governing player compensation without reaching an impasse in negotiations with the Players Association; the NLRB's General Counsel Silverman (plaintiff) sought an injunction, arguing this was an unfair labor practice, while the PRC argued these systems were merely permissive, not mandatory, bargaining subjects that owners were free to unilaterally change.
Whether baseball club owners are bound to the mandatory terms of an existing collective-bargaining agreement -- including the reserve/free-agency system and salary arbitration -- until new terms are negotiated in good faith to an impasse.