NLRB to pursue unlawful labor practices against USC, Pac-12, NCAA

Gophers_4life

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https://www.espn.com/college-footba...rsue-unlawful-labor-practices-usc-pac-12-ncaa

An effort to legally recognize college football and basketball players at the University of Southern California as employees of their school, their conference and the NCAA took a significant step forward Thursday.

The National Labor Relations Board has directed its Los Angeles regional office to pursue charges of unfair labor practices against USC, the Pac-12 and the NCAA. The NLRB will argue that athletes at USC are employees of those three groups and that their rights have been unlawfully restricted. If they are successful, athletes who play men's basketball, women's basketball or football at any private college in the NCAA will be granted the rights of employees, including the freedom to create unions.

The claim was filed on behalf of USC athletes by the National College Players Association, an advocacy group that has led several campaigns to increase various benefits that college athletes receive.

"We are working to make sure college athletes are treated fairly in both the education and business aspects of college sports," said NCPA executive director Ramogi Huma. "Gaining employee status and the right to organize is an important part in ending NCAA sports' business practices that illegally exploit college athletes' labor."

Huma was also involved in helping athletes at Northwestern University attempt to form a union in a similar effort nearly a decade ago. In that case, a five-person panel from the NLRB declined to rule on a petition for Northwestern players to unionize, essentially punting on the question of whether or not college athletes should be considered employees.
 


https://www.espn.com/college-footba...rsue-unlawful-labor-practices-usc-pac-12-ncaa

An effort to legally recognize college football and basketball players at the University of Southern California as employees of their school, their conference and the NCAA took a significant step forward Thursday.

The National Labor Relations Board has directed its Los Angeles regional office to pursue charges of unfair labor practices against USC, the Pac-12 and the NCAA. The NLRB will argue that athletes at USC are employees of those three groups and that their rights have been unlawfully restricted. If they are successful, athletes who play men's basketball, women's basketball or football at any private college in the NCAA will be granted the rights of employees, including the freedom to create unions.

The claim was filed on behalf of USC athletes by the National College Players Association, an advocacy group that has led several campaigns to increase various benefits that college athletes receive.

"We are working to make sure college athletes are treated fairly in both the education and business aspects of college sports," said NCPA executive director Ramogi Huma. "Gaining employee status and the right to organize is an important part in ending NCAA sports' business practices that illegally exploit college athletes' labor."

Huma was also involved in helping athletes at Northwestern University attempt to form a union in a similar effort nearly a decade ago. In that case, a five-person panel from the NLRB declined to rule on a petition for Northwestern players to unionize, essentially punting on the question of whether or not college athletes should be considered employees.

It’s interesting to think about what might happen if college players were granted employees status and unionization on a local, state, regional, conference, or national level. Salary and benefit costs would suddenly become a bidding auction as with coaches today. Where does that end? Would school A sacrifice their non-revenue sports and scholarships to stay competitive with school B. Would the ensuing chaos prompt a governing body to enact a national salary cap negotiated with the union or unions.

Maybe the employment model option is the best way for MN to get competitive for national championships again. A level playing field…
 

It’s interesting to think about what might happen if college players were granted employees status and unionization on a local, state, regional, conference, or national level. Salary and benefit costs would suddenly become a bidding auction as with coaches today. Where does that end? Would school A sacrifice their non-revenue sports and scholarships to stay competitive with school B. Would the ensuing chaos prompt a governing body to enact a national salary cap negotiated with the union or unions.

Maybe the employment model option is the best way for MN to get competitive for national championships again. A level playing field…
Grad students are unionizing. See UC system. Well, you know firsthand about that I guess!

I have no problem if P5 football and men's/women's basketball players organize and collectively bargain.

They could be "employees" (or maybe without the quotations) of the Big Ten, if that's easier than being employees of their respective schools.


No one has a problem with it for NFL and NBA players.
 

Just another weird thing in college athletics that makes me wonder if I'll even care in a few years.
Unfortunately, I'm already pretty sure I won't care. This is getting further and further from the sport I fell in love with a few decades ago.
 


Grad students are unionizing.

No one has a problem with it for NFL and NBA players.
As a former grad student of the U of M, I am very much against the bolded. I was there when we got to vote. There were only two things that were going to come out of it: a) computer science grad students, whose hourly wage was among the highest, would take a hit so liberal arts students could get a raise, and b) some blue-collar labor union would want to go on strike and now they could bring all of the U of M teaching assistants with them (which makes no sense except to create chaos).

As for the second sentence I quoted, you're wrong - the owners don't like it but have to live with it. ; - ) Joking aside, there are times when people do have a problem with it, no? Like when the sides can't come to an agreement and there is talk of having to postpone the start of the season, etc. and the general public has to listen to multi-millionaires complaining about their working conditions. But that's probably tangential to what you meant, lol.
 

News flash. Unions are a business. There are basically three outcomes to organizing and two of the three are negative.
 




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