LANSING, Mich. — Athletes would be blocked from unionizing at public universities under a bill that won final passage Tuesday, making Michigan at least the second state to respond after Northwestern University football players were allowed to vote this year on union representation.
The legislation, approved 25-11 mostly along party lines in the Republican-led Senate, is expected to be signed by GOP Gov. Rick Snyder.
It would prevent collective bargaining for university athletes by saying they are not public employees.
"Student-athletes really are students first," said Rep. Al Pscholka, a Stevensville Republican and the sponsor of the bill. "The whole notion of going to school to get an education gives you a lifetime of benefits, not just a part-time job as a university employee."
Football players at Northwestern, a Big Ten private school in Illinois, took a vote April 25 on whether to have the College Athletes Players Association represent them. The votes have not been counted while the National Labor Relations Board considers a legal challenge.
There are no reports of such union-organizing efforts at any of Michigan’s public or private universities. Democrats have described the legislation as a solution to a nonexistent problem.
The NCAA opposes player unionization, saying it could lead to fewer scholarships and eliminate funding for some sports. Spurred in part by the Northwestern players, Pac-12 university presidents in May outlined a national plan that included a stipend for athletes, improved medical care and lighter workout schedules.
In June, Ohio enacted a budget that said college athletes are not public employees.
This is not the first time Michigan lawmakers have moved to stifle organized labour on college campuses. University of Michigan graduate research assistants attempted to unionize, but that effort was chilled by a 2012 law signed by Snyder.
A federal judge struck down the measure this year, saying the provisions were in a bill that was originally drafted to address powers of emergency managers — violating the state constitution’s "change of purpose" clause.