Big win but a long road ahead for college union
By TIM DAHLBERG, AP Sports Writer | |
Associated Press |
After 14 years of toiling in the shadows, the head of the
But while Northwestern football players are scheduled to vote later this month on whether to form a union to possibly bargain over better compensation, health insurance and work conditions, it could be years — if ever — before the union earns a spot at the bargaining table.
"The regional director's decision was only the kickoff of a four-quarter game," said
Northwestern has a Wednesday deadline to ask for a review of the decision from the full
Already, the powers that run big time college sports are girding for a fight. So is the football coach at Northwestern, who has made it clear he will do whatever he can to get his players to back off on their efforts to organize.
"I believe it's in their best interests to vote no," coach
If they do, it would be another year under federal labor laws before the players could vote again. The legal case may continue, or it could stall because of the players' decision, labor attorneys said. Still, the issue is unlikely to go away. Organizers have said athletes at other schools have reached out about possible unionization — though they won't say who they are.
"We would welcome it being done very quickly but this is a big change," said
About the only thing certain is that the Northwestern players who signed union cards a few months ago to be represented by a union will have long since graduated by the time it all shakes out.
"These guys knew that when they signed the cards," Waters said. "They knew they were doing this for guys who come after them and they don't even know their names. That's the beauty of the solidarity of this thing."
There may be some cracks in that solidarity, judging from comments from Northwestern players at spring practice. The quarterback who spearheaded the union drive,
"I don't support it,"
Even if the union wins the vote, Northwestern's appeal of the ruling could take six months to a year to be decided. Even that won't be the final word, with a decision either way likely being appealed in court.
"This is such a philosophical divide that I don't see any possible common ground," said
"The question of what is an employee will eventually end up in the
Regardless of whether the union ever gains a foothold at Northwestern or any other school, the decision last month that declared football players university employees eligible for unionization has changed the tone in college sports. That could mean changes will be made long before the union question is decided.
Though the head of the
With the dual threat of former UCLA basketball star
"I think most of Division I memberships see that we're standing at a fork in the road,"
Waters and Huma are willing to wait, even if it means players in college today won't see any benefits from the battle. They joined up in 2000 when Huma, a former UCLA linebacker, sent emails around to various labor unions asking if any of them were willing to help the NCPA — a tiny group Huma founded — work for better treatment of college players.
Fourteen years later, they believe they're on the cusp of changing how big time college sports operate.
"The genie is out of the bottle," Waters said. "You've got a large group of people who have now had a taste of fighting for their rights. We think it's just going to spread."
Associated Press Writers
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