News

The Chicago regional office of the National Labor Relations Board has ruled that the football players at Northwestern University are employees of the university. In applying the common law definition of employee to the situation of the players, regional director Peter Sung Ohr, ruled that based on the significant revenue ($235 million over 9 years) and benefit (positive image) that result from the efforts of the players and the rigorous control exercised by the coaches that the relationship was that of an employer to employee rather than university to student. 

This decision is extremely important in that, as employees, the players will have the right to vote for a union and to have a voice in their workplace. It will qualify the players for workers' compensation, and allow them to bargain for their working conditions in a way that has been denied previously. 

Northwestern plans to appeal the ruling to the the labor board in Washington and, if upheld, the ruling applies only to private universities. Public universities would apply state labor law which, in some cases, might be more favourable to the organization of player unions.