- Players on the Dartmouth men's basketball team just filed a petition to unionize.
- This marks the first Division 1 team to do so in an era where NCAA players can now earn money.
Players on the Dartmouth College men's basketball team just filed a petition to unionize, according to docket filings from the National Labor Relations Board. The move marks the first time a major Division 1 team has moved to join a union in an era when student athletes are allowed to earn money.
The move may encourage other major college sports teams to do the same.
The petition comes about two years after the NCAA agreed to allow NCAA players to earn money from their fame. College sports programs are hugely lucrative for many schools, but until 2021, the players participating in those sports were unable to earn money for themselves due to strict rules.
To file a petition, at least 30% of the bargaining unit — in this case, at least 5 of the 15 players — must sign on. The potential bargaining unit would exclude any team managers and supervisors, according to the National Labor Relations Board filing, but it does not note whether team coaches would also be union-eligible.
The team is looking to join the Service Employees International Union, Local 560, according to the NLRB filing.
An administrative law judge will consider a case later this year that could impact the Dartmouth union bid, according to William Herbert, executive director of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions.
That case involves a complaint from the National Labor Relations Board against the University of Southern California, the Pac-12 divisional conference, and the NCAA. The Board said these organizations stripped student athletes of their right to unionize by not considering them university employees, CBS Sports reported. A judge will hear the case in November.
Dartmouth College officials are planning to respond "promptly yet thoughtfully in accordance with Dartmouth's educational mission and priorities," according to a statement from Jana Barnello, Dartmouth College media relations strategist.
The Dartmouth players are not the first Division I team to attempt a union bid.
In 2014, Northwestern University's Division I football team attempted to unionize. The team even held a union vote, the results of which were not released. But in 2015, the National Labor Relations Board ruled the team could not unionize, writing the unique bid "would not serve to promote stability in labor relations."
The USC case has the ability to overturn the Board's 2015 decision in the Northwestern case, Herbert told Insider.