As we previously reported, college football players at Northwestern University submitted a petition and signed union cards to the National Labor Relations Board in January seeking the right to collectively bargain over terms and conditions of employment. The NLRB’s Regional Director for Region 13, Peter Sung Ohr, issued a 24-page decision today finding that Northwestern football players are “employees” under Section 2(3) of the National Labor Relations Act and therefore ordered a union election. This decision from Region 13 is potentially a game-changer for college athletics.
We will have more analysis to follow, but additional information can be found here. ESPN has the decision posted here.