Overview

• Dartmouth College has requested the National Labor Relations Board to suspend an upcoming union election for its men's basketball team, citing pending litigation over whether players are considered employees.
• The school's request follows a ruling by NLRB regional director Laura Sacks, who found the basketball players to be employees eligible to unionize, a decision Dartmouth is challenging.
• Dartmouth argues that the players, like other students engaged in extracurricular activities, are not its employees but partake in sports to further their educational aims.
• If formed, the basketball players' union would be the first of its kind for U.S. student-athletes, following a precedent set by a 2015 union election attempt by Northwestern University football players.
• The school also raised concerns about the transient nature of the team, noting that many players will graduate soon, and questioned the implications of unionization for international players on visas.