NLRB to Review Northwestern's Appeal Of Student-Athletes' Union Decision

Steve Bernstein offered insight in the Wall Street Journal article “NLRB to Review Northwestern's Appeal of Student-Athletes' Union Decision.”

The National Labor Relations Board has agreed to review Northwestern University's request to overturn a decision that declared its scholarship football players employees who can unionize.

The NLRB said its board in Washington would review the ruling made by Regional Director Peter Sung Ohr, who in March determined Northwestern's scholarship football players are employees of the school and eligible to form the nation's first union for college athletes.

A decision affirming the regional director's ruling could have broad ramifications for collegiate athletics by opening the door for similar unionization efforts at other private institutions.

Northwestern President Morton Schapiro has said the university is prepared to fight that kind of decision and would file appeals in federal court, including the U.S. Supreme Court if necessary, according to the article.

"We're at the very early stages of what will inevitably be a long-simmering dispute," said Steve. "This is obviously uncharted territory."

Read the full article.