(Newsworthy.news) – The nation’s first labor union for athletes in the NCAA may become a reality after a recent ruling that basketball players at a Division 1 school are employees of the university.
On February 5, a ruling from an official with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) determined that basketball players at Dartmouth College are legally employees of the institution, taking them one step closer to earning the right to unionize.
Back in September 2023, each member of the 15-person squad on the men’s basketball team at the school signed a petition requesting membership of the Service Employees International Union’s Local 560. This group is one which represents other employees at Dartmouth, which is located in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Because of the ruling, the unionized players would be able to negotiate various aspects of their employment, including salary, working conditions, travel and practice time.
Laura Sacks, the NLRB’s regional director, wrote in the ruling that Dartmouth players are employees under the National Labor Relations Act because they “perform” work “in exchange for compensation” from Dartmouth, which “has the right to control” their work.
The NCAA, along with universities, have maintained over the years that even Division 1 athletes are classified as students rather than employees. Collegiate athletics officials have also petitioned Congress to enact a federal law to codify this classification.
Dartmouth is still able to appeal Sacks’ ruling, presenting it before the national board. This response would not be the first time that a college took this route, as Northwestern University submitted such an appeal after players on its football team sought to elect union leaders in 2014.
This month’s ruling permits players to be compensated for their labor contributed to Dartmouth athletics, which stands in stark contrast next to the school’s lack of giving athletic scholarships to its student athletes.
The university is set to appeal the decision which holds the potential of lasting years and may even find its way to the United States Supreme Court.
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