Posts tagged college athletes
Business costs are increasing, and unions are not helping. Here’s what employers need to know.
October 13, 2026 // Business expenses are rising, and while unions have historically improved wages and working conditions, increased unionization has added further challenges to controlling business costs. Union membership hit a 16-year high in 2025, driven largely by growing interest among younger and minority workers, and continued growth could increase the costs of goods and services we frequently use. Businesses offering a safe and productive working environment, along with competitive pay structures, will reduce the need for organized labor and its associated costs.
Jim Jordan Hints He May Address College Athlete Unionization with Amendment to Save College Sports Act | Don’t @ Me w/ Dan Dakich
October 1, 2026 // "I think that's a concern. I think most, college, you know, most college athletes don't really want to unionize. I think most coaches don't want to have to deal with that. I think most universities and athletic departments don't want to have to deal with just one more issue, and it creates a whole new dynamic. And then it then if they're player, then there's tax issues. There's a whole host of things that just aren't necessarily there when we think about college athletics. And so that's a concern that I think some have with the bill. And we're going to take a look at all that when, when we get a chance to deal with the bill in the lame duck session after the election."
Oregon State University objects to women’s basketball team’s petition to unionize
August 25, 2026 // Leaders at Oregon State University told the state employment relations board Monday they object to an effort by its women’s basketball team to unionize, arguing that the players are not employees and therefore cannot legally create a bargaining unit.
Over 100 women’s college basketball players team up in unionization effort
August 3, 2026 // NCAA leaders have long opposed the idea of players becoming employees of their schools, though the idea isn't universally opposed by college leaders. Tennessee athletic director Danny White has been among those who have said collective bargaining is the only real solution to the problems that confront schools that are now paying millions to their players. Attempts to create unions for college athletes at Dartmouth and Southern California stalled in 2024 due to the changing landscape in college sports and the then-incoming Trump administration's new National Labor Relations Board, which wasn't expected to approve the moves.
Why College Athletes Probably Won’t Unionize
April 21, 2026 // Still, some schools are worried about possible unionization of players. That is the case at Duke University, which chose to hire a law firm that specializes in labor relations to assess the situation. The firm’s conclusion was that the school did not need to worry. Anderson concurs.
Michigan lawmakers introduce state bills paving way for college athletes to unionize
July 10, 2025 // Since July 1, student-athletes must disclose any NIL deals made outside the university worth more than $600 to a new third-party entity called "NIL Go." The NCAA says this ensures both sides are getting a fair value, but Rep. Joe Tate says otherwise. "We want to be clear to make sure that no entity is allowed to interrupt a student-athlete's ability to enter into a contract," said Tate, D-Detroit. "Then they don't have to submit a contract to the NCAA for approval. If you're going to a university in Michigan, it restricts them from doing that."
Acting NLRB Counsel Rolls Back Many Biden-Era Labor Memos and Begins Process of Changing U.S. Labor Laws: What Employers Need to Know
February 18, 2025 // Overall, GC Cowen’s memo impacted 31 prior GC memos issued between 2021 and 2025 (yes, some of these were hurriedly issued in January prior to the presidential inauguration). Some of the most impactful memos that are no longer in effect include: Contending that most non-competition agreements violate federal labor law Prohibiting “stay or pay” provisions Characterizing student-athletes as employees
THE TRUMP EFFECT: DARTMOUTH HOOPERS WON’T BE UNIONIZING!
January 3, 2025 // The fight to deem athletes employees isn’t over yet. The Johnson v. NCAA case over athlete employment status is still pending in the federal court system, and a growing chorus of coaches and players (including those involved in the House v. NCAA settlement) have begun to call for collective bargaining. The NCAA and power conferences will continue their multimillion-dollar lobbying push in Congress to pass a law deeming athletes amateurs for good. Their chances of succeeding will be higher with a Republican majority in both houses and Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) as head of the Senate Commerce Committee—though not guaranteed. Labor unions could also mount a lobbying push against the NCAA.
Robert Boland: The future of college athlete pay hinges on the presidential election
September 25, 2024 // Most athletes would stand to gain much more from the actions of the NLRB, which could permanently classify collegiate athletes as employees of their universities. This would afford them not only the right to wages but also additional employee benefits such as workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, and the right to both unionize and collectively bargain with their schools. The Biden-Harris administration — as well as its NLRB appointees — has been very labor-friendly, and we could expect a Harris-Walz administration to maintain the same approach. However, Republican appointees would be more likely to reject unionization and maintain the NCAA’s status quo — however uncertain — without granting student-athletes employee status or benefits.
House Panel Advances GOP Bill to Ban College Athletes as Employees
June 17, 2024 // Good suggested that college athletes should be pleased with having recently "won new freedoms," including name, image and likeness and the ability to transfer schools without enhanced restriction. Classifying those developments as "new freedoms" is debatable. NIL removed NCAA restrictions barring athletes from using a legal right they already possessed, the right of publicity, and only came about after states passed NIL statutes. As to the NCAA lifting transfer restrictions, that only surfaced after the NCAA lost in court on those very restrictions.