Ohio lawmakers move to prevent student athletes from unionizing

Ohio lawmakers are preemptively moving to prevent student athletes from unionizing.

Tucked away on page 407 of an amendment to Ohio’s state budget, lawmakers included a provision clearly stating student athletes are not public employees even when participating in university athletics.

undefined

Tweet this

“Specifies that students attending state universities are not public employees based upon participating in athletics for the state university,” the legislation reads.

A spokesperson for Rep. Ron Amstutz (R), chair of the House Finance and Appropriations Committee, declined to comment as the legislation is still pending.

This provision comes just weeks after the National Labor Relations Board ruled in favor of Northwestern University football players, subsequently recognizing them as university employees and granting them the right to unionize.

Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @katie0509