The Dartmouth men’s basketball team is set to hold an election on March 5 to decide on the issue of unionization, marking a potentially groundbreaking development in the realm of American college sports.
The National Labor Relations Board has announced that the election will be conducted in person on the campus of Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Despite the NCAA’s assertion that these athletes are primarily “student-athletes,” the Regional Director of the NLRB in Boston recently made a ruling stating that the players should be recognized as employees of the university.
This ruling paves the way for the unionization process. All 15 members of the basketball team had previously submitted a petition seeking representation by the Service Employees International Union Local 560, which currently represents other Dartmouth employees.
A spokesperson for the NLRB mentioned that Dartmouth has until February 20 to challenge the decision made by the regional director. Dartmouth has indicated their intention to appeal.
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