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Federal Official Again Declares That College Football Players Can Unionize
Forbes ^ | February 22, 2017 | George Leef

Posted on 02/22/2017 10:02:30 AM PST by reaganaut1

A hallmark of the federal bureaucracy under Obama was that it pushed the boundaries of government power at every step, especially when doing so helped groups allied to the Democratic Party.

Labor unions are one of those groups. Even though many individual workers don’t favor the Democrats, the union hierarchy has hitched its fortunes to them. They’re always looking for any advantage that politicians or bureaucrats can give them.

Back in 2014, Big Labor got excited over the possibility of unionizing college football players when the National Labor Relations Board’s regional director in Chicago ruled that members of Northwestern University’s football team were eligible to vote for union representation if they wanted. The key to that ruling was the regional director’s opinion that college football players are “employees” within the meaning of the National Labor Relations Act and therefore eligible to unionize.

That was a big stretch of the law, as I wrote at the time. Unlike all other employees, college football players do not have contracts to work for the school as athletes. They’ve been admitted to a college or university as students and can be removed from the team or even fail out of school if their academic work is not good enough. In no other job does a worker’s ability to remain on the job depend on a factor having nothing to do with his or her job performance.

(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government
KEYWORDS: collegefootball; nlrb; unions
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1 posted on 02/22/2017 10:02:30 AM PST by reaganaut1
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To: reaganaut1

stupid. Just Stupid.


2 posted on 02/22/2017 10:06:18 AM PST by BuffaloJack (The Democrats haven't been this aggitated since Lincoln took away their slaves.)
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To: reaganaut1

Try it.

If you want it to die.


3 posted on 02/22/2017 10:08:10 AM PST by lurk (TEat)
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To: reaganaut1
Can non-employees unionize?

If the football players are employees doesn't that mean that they have turned Pro and are no longer eligible to play in the NCAA?

"Ceterum censeo Islam esse delendam."

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)

LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

4 posted on 02/22/2017 10:09:10 AM PST by LonePalm (Commander and Chef)
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To: reaganaut1
Perhaps it's time for college football to go away. The whole student loan morass will collapse soon...and with it the colleges it supports.
5 posted on 02/22/2017 10:09:51 AM PST by Myrddin
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To: reaganaut1

Call it what it is; a farm system for pro ball. It should be run and paid for as it were just that. As so many things in universities now, completely useless and of no purpose for what a university should be and do.


6 posted on 02/22/2017 10:10:26 AM PST by rey
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To: LonePalm
NCAA could certainly make that argument and exclude teams with union players. Join the union, get dropped from the team as you make the team ineligible to play. Put a union member on the field in an NCAA game and you forfeit.
7 posted on 02/22/2017 10:13:02 AM PST by Myrddin
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To: reaganaut1

Where is the constitutional federal question in this case? Otherwise the only way this federal court could hear the case is if there was diversity (plaintiffs from a different state than the defendants). Very hard to believe a local issue like this had diversity. If it is a diversity case, the judge would need to rule along the lines of state law.

If this wasn’t a diversity case, then it would seem that this federal judge has no constitutional authority to interfere with this high-school issue and the locality with he state’s support should nullify and reject this invalid federal court decision.


8 posted on 02/22/2017 10:14:06 AM PST by Jim W N
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To: reaganaut1

You wanna see boycotts of CFB and CBB games? Try it and watch the numbers fall like crazy

ESPN will also be in panic mode, more so than now


9 posted on 02/22/2017 10:15:51 AM PST by A_Former_Democrat ("Liberalism is a mental disorder" On FULL Display NOW BOYCOTT Mexico NFL PepsiCO Kellogg's)
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To: LonePalm
If the football players are employees doesn't that mean that they have turned Pro and are no longer eligible to play in the NCAA?
<
That could open the door to challenges to the NBA as a monopoly in restraint of trade or even RICO. There's no end to what can come from this. Although it is a wrong-headed approach, the NCAA has something bad due its way.
10 posted on 02/22/2017 10:16:34 AM PST by Dr. Sivana (There is no salvation in politics.)
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To: reaganaut1

Don’t you have to be an employee??


11 posted on 02/22/2017 10:17:15 AM PST by WKUHilltopper (WKU 2016 Boca Raton Bowl Champions)
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To: A_Former_Democrat

This all sounds like a good thing, everything considered.


12 posted on 02/22/2017 10:18:04 AM PST by buwaya
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To: reaganaut1

If you’re not a college football player, why would anyone care? Since our colleges are unfortunately farm systems for the NFL or NBA, why not have the NFL or the NBA teams sign individual players and pay them a minor league salary.


13 posted on 02/22/2017 10:18:39 AM PST by wrcase
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To: Dr. Sivana

In the past I would not agree. Now it’s such big business the colleges are using the athletes big time. Too many don’t even belong on a campus of any kind.


14 posted on 02/22/2017 10:18:55 AM PST by DIRTYSECRET (urope. Why do they put up with this.)
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To: WKUHilltopper

They already are, effectively. De facto if not de jure.


15 posted on 02/22/2017 10:19:13 AM PST by buwaya
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To: DIRTYSECRET

A gravy train for the colleges.


16 posted on 02/22/2017 10:20:07 AM PST by DIRTYSECRET (urope. Why do they put up with this.)
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To: BuffaloJack

I think its quite smart.
It would help restore the idea of the playing fields of Eton vs the Roman Colosseum.

Amateur athletics for the sake of physical fitness and character development vs a public spectacle put on by paid gladiators.


17 posted on 02/22/2017 10:22:18 AM PST by buwaya
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To: reaganaut1
"They’ve been admitted to a college or university as students and can be removed from the team or even fail out of school if their academic work is not good enough. In no other job does a worker’s ability to remain on the job depend on a factor having nothing to do with his or her job performance."

I don't know that this analysis is correct - keeping a scholarship is dependent on all of these things: performance, academics, institutional rules, everything.

By the same token, there are requirements - and most are not written down - of "regular" employees... performance, showing up, maintaining industry competencies, etc.

18 posted on 02/22/2017 10:25:41 AM PST by alancarp (George Orwell was an optimist.)
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To: BuffaloJack

Let them do it. The NCAA teams will whittle down within two years to twelve teams max.

I do agree...the colleges are raking in a fair amount of money.


19 posted on 02/22/2017 10:26:22 AM PST by pepsionice
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To: reaganaut1

Richard F. Griffin, Jr. was sworn in as General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board on November 4, 2013 for a four year term. Prior to becoming General Counsel, Mr. Griffin served as a Board Member from January 9, 2012 through August 2, 2013.

20 posted on 02/22/2017 10:26:23 AM PST by Robert DeLong
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