Dartmouth College’s men’s basketball team voted to recognize a union Tuesday, making it the first collegiate sports club to do so.
The players voted 13-2 to employ Service Employees International Union Local 560, which already represents other workers at the Hanover, New Hampshire, school.
The National Labor Relations Board denied the college’s request to delay the election on Monday, affirming a previous decision that defined the Dartmouth basketball players as employees. That bombshell decision came down on Feb. 5 and cleared the way for Tuesday’s election.
The college still has the option to appeal the results to the NLRB, which supervised the proceedings, and further to the federal appeals court. The appeals process could delay collective bargaining and an eventual contract until after the players graduate.
Even if the current Dartmouth players can’t utilize all the benefits a union could bring, the NLRB’s decision last month and Tuesday’s win could spell the end of the NCAA’s business model.
For decades, the NCAA has insisted that college athletes aren’t employees and that their education comes first. This model has come under criticism from athletes who say the distribution of revenue is unfair, with coaches and school officials getting the bulk of the money.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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