College presidents say no to unions for athletes

By Tom Raum

Published July 3, 2014 11:15pm ET

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College presidents say no to unions for athletes — FILE - In this April 25, 2014, file photo, Northwestern football players walk between their locker room and McGaw Hall, where voting is taking place on the student athlete union question in Evanston, Ill. A national organization representing college and university presidents is disputing a federal ruling that students who receive college athletic scholarships are essentially employees of their schools and thus entitled to join unions and exercise collective-bargaining rights. Student-athletes participate for their own benefit; they do not render services for compensation, said the 1,800 member American Council on Education. Ahead of a midnight deadline, the council filed a 30-page friend-of-the court brief taking strong issue with the ruling earlier this year by a National Labor Relations Board regional director that allows college athletes at Northwestern University to unionize.(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File) | Charles Rex Arbogast

WASHINGTON (AP) — Northwestern University on Thursday urged the National Labor Relations Board to overturn a regional ruling that would allow its scholarship football players to unionize, holding up the football program as exemplifying the university’s integration of athletics and education.

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Colleges and Universities Labor Labor unions NCAA