The Dartmouth men’s basketball team has dropped its attempt to unionize, citing concerns about facing an unfriendly National Labor Relations Board under a Republican-controlled administration. The Service Employees International Union Local 560, which had filed the NLRB petition on behalf of the players, decided to withdraw the request rather than risk a negative outcome. The decision comes as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to fill two openings on the NLRB after his inauguration on Jan. 20.
The players had petitioned the labor board in 2023, arguing that they met the legal definition of employees due to the amount of control the school exercised over their schedules and working conditions. A regional official agreed with this assessment, leading to a 13-2 vote by the team to join the SEIU Local 560. However, the school refused to bargain with the players, opting to push the case into federal court instead. Dartmouth maintained that the decision to classify the players as employees was incorrect and not supported by legal precedent.
The two players who initiated the union effort, Cade Haskins and Romeo Myrthil, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The union praised them for their efforts, noting that they had made history by becoming the first certified bargaining unit of college athletes in the country. The Dartmouth case had the potential to challenge the NCAA’s amateur model, which prohibits athletes from being paid despite the lucrative nature of college sports. Recent court decisions have allowed players to earn stipends for living expenses and profit off their name, image, and likeness.
Both sides agree that the current paradigm of college athletics is in jeopardy, with the NCAA lobbying Congress to preserve the amateur model. A college athletes union would be unprecedented in American sports, as previous attempts to unionize college teams have faced challenges. The Dartmouth case, in particular, raised questions about the classification of players as employees and the need for collective bargaining in college sports. The decision to withdraw the unionization attempt underscores the complex legal and political issues surrounding the rights and compensation of college athletes.
Despite the withdrawal of the unionization effort, the SEIU Local 560 stated that they would continue to advocate for just compensation, adequate health coverage, and safe working conditions for varsity athletes at Dartmouth. The decision to withdraw the NLRB petition was seen as a strategic move to protect the precedent set by the Dartmouth players and avoid potential legal challenges in the future. The debate over the rights of college athletes and the future of college sports continues to be a contentious issue, with stakeholders on all sides grappling with the implications of potential changes to the current system.
