Unions

Democrats were joined by 25 Republicans in defeating a bill that would have prohibited unions from requiring non-union members to pay fees to cover the cost of collective bargaining.

Players voted to unionize back in March, potentially making them the nation's first college athlete's union.

The union includes roughly 800 members who are students working as research and teaching assistants while pursuing their graduate degrees.

The Dartmouth men’s basketball team unionized this month, marking a first in college sports. UNH Professor Michael McCann joins NHPR’s All Things Considered host Julia Furukawa to discuss what’s next.

Dartmouth will not enter into collective bargaining with the union its men’s basketball players voted to join earlier this month, the school said Monday in a move that could send the case to federal court.

The Dartmouth basketball players voted 13-2 on March 5 to join the Service Employees International Union Local 560 – the first ever labor union for college athletes.

While the vote wasn’t unanimous, the players stressed that their team unity remained strong as they rallied to a victory against Harvard.

The vote remains on track to happen as scheduled, after a National Labor Relations Board official rejected the school’s request to reopen the case.

The labor relations board's national office granted Dartmouth's request to move the appeal deadline from Feb. 20 to March 5, which is the same day the players are scheduled to participate in an in-person election in Hanover, New Hampshire.

The two Dartmouth players working to unionize their basketball team say other athletes have been reaching out to see if they can join the effort. The basketball team has scheduled a March 5 union election.