CHICAGO — The National Labor Relations Board on Monday blocked an effort by Northwestern University football players to form the nation’s first college athletes’ union, dealing a setback to a labor movement that could have transformed the game.
In a unanimous decision, the NLRB said the prospect of having both union and nonunion teams could lead to different standards at different schools — from the amount of money players receive to the amount of time they can practice — and create competitive imbalances throughout college sports.
The ruling dismissed a March 2014 decision by a regional NLRB director in Chicago who said football players with scholarships are effectively school employees and entitled to organize.