WASHINGTON – On Capitol Hill Thursday, lawmakers wrestled with the potential effects of college athlete unionization.
Full disclosure: while this subject has made national headlines for months, I’ve skated by with only a basic understanding of the events and arguments.
But here’s why you – if you’re also delinquent in your knowledge of the controversies surrounding big-time college sports – should care: if college athletes are allowed to unionize, it could change the “college experience” for all students pretty profoundly, affecting the way a large number of students interact with their academic institutions, peers and professors.
So, here’s a primer on the subject: all of the basic questions you’d be embarrassed to ask your boyfriend/girlfriend/friend who watches college sports with a passion that others reserve for new episodes of Scandal and the Grammys’ red carpet.
Okay – college players want to unionize? Since when?
Debates about treatment of college athletes – from whether they should be paid, to how much food they can eat, to providing sustained medical care for sports-related injuries – have been raging for years. But the unionization drumbeat, in particular, started when some members of the Northwestern University football team filed a petition to unionize with the National Labor Relations Board in January.
And then what happened?
In March, a regional director for the NLRB ruled that Northwestern football players on athletic scholarships are university employees. After his decision, Northwestern appealed to the NLRB for a full-board review.
About two weeks ago, Wildcat football players voted by secret ballot on whether to form a union, but their ballots can’t be counted until the full board decision comes down.
What does Congress have to do with this, anyway?
Officially, not a whole lot. This is a matter being handled by the NLRB and, if necessary, the federal courts.
But that hasn’t stopped lawmakers from sharing their opinions.
The House Education and the Workforce Committee called a hearing on the unionization issue “to thoroughly examine how the NLRB’s decision will affect students and their ability to receive a quality education,” said John Kline, R-Minn., the committee chairman.
Kline isn’t a fan of players forming unions. “Classifying student athletes as school ‘employees’ will hurt their athletic and academic careers,” he said.
Last fall, two bills about treatment of college athletes, dealing with scholarships, misconduct and other issues, were introduced in Congress. Both bills are still in committee.
Arguments for?
Proponents say a union would give college athletes a much-deserved “seat at the table” when negotiating basic operating procedures of college athletics programs.
They also say that college football and basketball players generate lots of money for schools, so they should be compensated fairly, and that athletes should be able to push for more medical protections, like adopting new safety standards and getting long-term financial support for sports injuries.
Arguments against?
The American Council on Education, in a letter released Thursday, said that giving student athletes employee status would “impede colleges’ and universities’ ability to perform their essential missions” and “undermine the collegial, academic culture.”
Opponents also claim that scholarships would become taxable income, putting a financial burden on students, and that more scholarship money for athletes would bump up the cost of tuition for everyone.
What’s next?
If the full board of the NLRB upholds the regional chairman’s decision, Northwestern’s ballots will be counted. If the majority of players voted for unionization, they’ll be considered employees under the National Labor Relations Act and other Division I football players on scholarships could claim the Northwestern action as precedent and do the same.
Players at state schools couldn’t, because they’re governed by state law, not the NLRB.
The Northwestern administration could refuse to bargain with the newly formed union, which would push the issue to a federal appeals court.
Nobody knows when the NLRB decision will be issued.