Northwestern football players can unionize, NLRB rules

[Ptah]

Source: Chicago Tribune

Northwestern University football players are employees of the school and are therefore entitled to a union election, Peter Sung Ohr, the regional director of the National Labor Relations Board, said in a ruling released Wednesday afternoon.

Ohr's decision is expected to be appealed to the NLRB in Washington. Labor experts say an election is unlikely to take place until the NLRB makes a decision. If Ohr's decision is upheld, the case would likely make its way through federal appellate court and could reach the Supreme Court.

The decision is "revolutionary for college sports," said Robert McCormick, a professor emeritus at Michigan State University College of Law who focuses on sports and labor law.

McCormick said Ohr's decision could influence other state and federal agencies. For example, if college players demand compensation for injuries sustained during training or a game, Ohr's opinion could come into play in the question of whether the players are employees under the state Workers' Compensation Act.

Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-northwestern-union-bid-20140326,0,6454823.story

[alp227]

1. K&R + ESPN article

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10677763/northwestern-wildcats-football-players-win-bid-unionize

Now the not so good part of this is that universities will be on the hook for all sorts of costs that they'd owe to an employee not just a student.

[big_dog]

11. K&R go wildcats!

[alp227]

12. Boo...I'm a Michigan fan...the Cats choked vs Michigan last year

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2013/11/michigan_northwestern_3.html

[big_dog]

19. they played great for 3 quarters against Ohio St

[SoapBox]

2. Dumbest ruling ever.

They are students that are supposed to be learning.

OH...employees? Now they can all be fired.

p.s...a prime example of how sports are out of control, at "institutions of higher learning".

[hack89]

6. They can be fired now

their scholarships are year to year and they can be dropped at any time at the whim of the school.

[Ezlivin]

7. Student-Athletes is a term coined to fool people

Watch the documentary "Schooled: The Price of College Sports" for a greater appreciation of why the term "Student-Athlete" is used so very often. (And why it is so very misleading.)

This ruling can start to rein in sports at college. So it can address your concern.

[LanternWaste]

17. I imagine it takes a very special brain to perceive push-back against the neglect of healthcare and

I imagine it takes a very special brain to perceive push-back against the neglect of healthcare and education issues, and gives athletes a voice in the NCAA system that they've never had before to be the "dumbest ruling ever"



Bless your little heart...

[Starry Messenger]

22. +

[Skeeter Barnes]

27. The NCAA will have to start paying the athletes money at some point anyway,

whether there is a Union or not. And a Union isn't just about money. There are also working conditions to consider, arrangements for housing and food and how discipline will be handled. The workers should have a say in that just like the athletes in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, etc...

It's hard for me to understand how a Democrat would be for a system where executives get all the billion$ while the workers that brought in the money only get a tiny fraction of that in the form of a scholarship in return.

[Blue_Tires]

37. +1

And/or the NFL and NBA can get off their asses and build a proper, legitimate MINOR league system for grooming future players and coaches instead of shifting that burden to the NCAA...

[msongs]

3. football players can quit pretending to be students & scholarships can be ended nt

[CFLDem]

29. If only! nt

[ccjlld]

4. Unsure of whether this is a good thing.

I agree colleges and universities make millions off of their athletes. But, will this mean that the cost of the scholarship will be considered income? If so, then won't it be taxable? And if it causes institutions to close down their athletic programs, how many kids will lose out on a college education?

[TexasTowelie]

10. If a portion of the scholarship is used for room & board or other living expenses then that portion

is already taxable. The part for tuition, books, supplies or equipment is non-taxable.

[clg311]

20. It's not a good thing it's a great thing.

And it's about thing.

[LynneSin]

5. I really have to question the reasoning behind this

These are not professional sports players. These are talented students, many who were given scholarships based on their skills in order to play football and get an education to boot.

If these players were that talented they should have skipped college and joined the ranks of the NFL. If they want to be paid then perhaps the NFL should have a minor league similiar to what is done in baseball.

[hack89]

9. The NFL and colleges colluded to ensure there was no other path to the NFL

NFL rules say that an athlete must be three years removed from high school before they can play in the NFL.

It is a sweet heart deal - the NFL doesn't have to spend money on a minor league and colleges can continue to make billions off of free labor.

[Kolesar]

21. And they didn't pay Bruno Mars for his half time show

Not that I am excited about Bruno Mars.

Those billionaire owners stick it to everybody. Those young men give their bodies for the league. The professionals give their brains. Did you see "League of Denial" on PBS/Frontline?

[brooklynite]

8. What if the QB calls a play that's not in the labor agreement?

[KamaAina]

14. I think that falls under work rules

[ForgoTheConsequence]

13. Figures this thread is already full of anti union bullshit.

[Keefer]

15. You thought tuition was

high NOW?

[TBF]

18. Maybe you should explain

your comment.

[Skeeter Barnes]

30. The NCAA took in over a billion dollars in ad revenue from the basketball tournament alone last year

If tuition goes up, it won't be because those players that took part in it get a few thousand each from it.

According to new research, TV ad revenue for the N.C.A.A. men's college basketball tournament exceeded $1 billion last year -- topping the total revenue for the NFL postseason. (The data, from Kantar Media, found that for the post-season, pro football made $976 million in ad spending revenue in 2012; the NBA playoffs made $536 million; Major League Baseball’s playoffs and World Series pulled in $354 million; and the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs collected $101 million.)

http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/freakonomics-radio/how-much-tv-money-does-march-madness-make

That's more money from one tournament than the pro sports made from their entire playoffs! Don't the athletes, the people actually doing the work, deserve at least a small cut of all that money?

[unc70]

36. No, CBS took in the ad revenue, then paid ncaa contract

The NCAA did receive nearly $800 million from CBS for the broadcast rights. NCAA in turn distributed nearly all of it to its member institutions, the largest distribution going to every D1 school based on its participation in NCAA sports -- number of sports and the number of athletes involved; another allocation is based on D1 basketball tourney games in previous six years. Other allocations are for grants in aid and for catastrophic injury insurance for 450,000 athletes in all divisions.

[reflection]

16. Question:

Given that athletes cycle in and out of universities in time frames of 4 years or less, how often will they be allowed to vote on whether or not to unionize (or de-unionize)? Seems like it would be a fluid thing.

Tentatively, I like the ruling. The money made off the backs of athletes is utterly obscene, even factoring in scholarships.

[Starry Messenger]

23. Gosh, I just love seeing all the anti-union bs on DU.

[groundloop]

25. What anti-union BS?

All I've read in this discussion are several opinions that student-athletes aren't really employees of their university.

As for me, I'm on the fence on that question. Schools make huge profits from their football programs, and that is where the vast majority of scholarship money goes. As for other sports most of the time student-athletes only get a half or less of a scholarship and therefore have to pay for a good part of their tuition.

[1000words]

24. Have fun with that employee status!

Whole different "education" in store ...

[maindawg]

26. The NCAA is dead

The NCAA has been the authority for over 100 years with zero oversite. The NCAA is corrupt. A super corrupt organization running a billion dollar industry with what amounts to slaves.
Fuck them. They are history. The Pros have a union. The players deserve representation. They do deserve fair compensation. The whole thing is a mess. I like football and sports as much as anybody.But I am sick and tired of seeing the same team win every year. Sick of it.
Many players bypass the scholarship because of the onerus regulations laid down by the NCAA with zero protections.
You get hurt , you lose your scholy. That is wrong. Most football players come out of HS with serious injuries. Most college players wind up with serious injuries that they will deal with for the rest of their lives.
These athletes are adults. They are not children. They deserve representation what they sign a contract with a university.
And one more thing, universities are for profit rackets. You go for 4 years and they change the rules and you end up going for another year or you dont graduate. Thats another racket they engage in.
I would advise any student to get a two year degree first. Its cheap and the two years schools dont play these games.

[DiverDave]

28. Dear Northwestern players, put on your fire proof undies

The ncaa, the university's (not just nwestern) the right wing, the churches.
They are all gonna climb on the world is ending bandwagon.

I think it's a good thing, if the uni's wanted to address issues, that are LONG standing, they should have.
But, they know what's best, sound familiar?

Schools make Billions on sports, they ought to share.

[Deuce]

32. The 25 Highest-Paid Coaches In College Football...

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-25-highest-paid-coaches-in-college-football-2013-11?op=1

[NobodyHere]

33. Interesting to see how this turns out.

This ruling so far only affects private schools.

So what happens if a unionized team starts asking for benefits that aren't allowed by current NCAA rules such as a paycheck? The NCAA isn't going to start bending the rules in regards to individual schools (or will they?). Will the football team go on strike and not play a season? How would the NCAA and the Big Ten (for Northwestern) react? Will they get kicked out of the conference or perhaps even the whole Div 1A?

Things could get interesting.

[DiverDave]

35. From ESPN:

State schools have to follow state law...which is different state to state.
Stay tuned...my take?
The rich will win, because of all the money.

Plantation mentality.

[quadrature]

34. where is Obama on this matter? ....nt