The Dartmouth men’s basketball team on Tuesday voted 13-2 in favor of forming a union in a historic election that could usher in a new phase of the movement for college athletes to be treated like employees.
The election, ordered by the National Labor Relations Board, took place on the college’s campus in Hanover, N.H. The university is expected to request a full review by the NLRB and could appeal to federal court, which could keep official recognition and collective bargaining months away.
The parties have five business days to file an objection to the election. Following certification of the election, the parties have another 10 business days to appeal the regional director ruling.
The university responded to the vote with a statement after the results were announced: “For decades, Dartmouth has been proud to build productive relationships with the five unions that are currently part of our campus community. We always negotiate in good faith and have deep respect for our 1,500 union colleagues, including the members of SEIU Local 560. In this isolated circumstance, however, the students on the men’s basketball team are not in any way employed by Dartmouth. For Ivy League students who are varsity athletes, academics are of primary importance, and athletic pursuit is…
