Dartmouth men's basketball team votes to unionize, though steps remain before forming labor union

abcnews.go.com:

The Dartmouth men's basketball team has voted to unionize, taking an unprecedented step toward forming the first-ever labor union for college athletes

HANOVER, N.H. — The Dartmouth men's basketball team voted to unionize Tuesday in an unprecedented step toward forming the first labor union for college athletes and another blow to the NCAA's deteriorating amateur business model.

In an election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board in the school's human resources offices, the players voted 13-2 to join Service Employees International Union Local 560, which already represents some Dartmouth workers. Every player on the roster voted.

«Today is a big day for our team,» said Dartmouth juniors Cade Haskins and Romeo Myrthil, who have led the effort. “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.”

The school has appealed to the full NLRB, seeking to overturn last month's decision by the board's regional official that the Dartmouth players are employees and thus entitled to unionize. Both sides also have until March 12 to file an objection with the NLRB over the election procedures; barring that, the local will be certified as the workers’ bargaining representative.

The case could also wind up in federal court, which would likely delay negotiations over a collective bargaining agreement until long after the current members of the basketball team have graduated.

Dartmouth had told students that unionizing could get the team kicked out of the Ivy League, or even the NCAA. In a statement, the school said it was supportive of the five unions