Manic Monday: Michigan Pre-Emptively “Tackles” the Unionized College Athlete Issue
On December 30, 2014, Governor Rick Snyder signed legislation (H.B. 6074) that excludes public college and university athletes in Michigan from the definition of "public employees" entitled to collectively bargain under Michigan law—thus effectively barring them from unionizing. The law's purpose was to ensure "that college athletes are students, first and foremost, and should not be treated as employees by their schools." The legislation comes as we await the NLRB's decision on the unionization efforts by football players at Northwestern University. More about the legislation available here.
