Dartmouth men’s basketball team votes to unionize

The men’s basketball team at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire voted Tuesday to unionize, a first step toward forming what would be the first labor union for college athletes.

The players voted 13-2, in an election that was supervised by the National Labor Relations Board, to join Service Employees International Union Local 560.

“Today is a big day for our team. We stuck together all season and won this election. It is self-evident that we, as students, can also be both campus workers and union members. Dartmouth seems to be stuck in the past. It’s time for the age of amateurism to end,” said players Cade Haskins and Romeo Myrthil, according to The Associated Press.

Prior to the vote, the college filed an appeal to the full National Labor Relations Board, hoping to overturn an earlier decision made by a regional officer that classified the players as employees. The college also could take the case to federal court.

In a statement, the college said unionization would be inappropriate for the athletes.

“Classifying these students as employees simply because they play basketball is as unprecedented as it is inaccurate. We, therefore, do not believe unionization is appropriate,” the college said.

Meanwhile in California, the NLRB is hearing a separate complaint that asks for the University of Southern California’s football and basketball players to be recognized as employees.