On Thursday afternoon, the Associated Press reported the filing of an unfair labor complaint against the University of Notre Dame, calling out the school’s classification of its college athletes as “student-athletes” rather than employees. A California-based group that calls itself the College Basketball Players Association filed the complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.
According to the filing, Notre Dame is engaging in unfair labor practices as defined by Section 8 of the National Labor Relations Act. The University of Southern California faced a similar complaint in May 2023, when the NLRB’s office in Los Angeles alleged USC’s football and women’s basketball players as employees rather than “student-athletes.”
Michael Hsu, the leader of the filing group, has now filed complaints against five schools, including Northwestern and Dartmouth.
In response to requests regarding the complaint, Notre Dame referred to its statement of principles, defining athletics as “an integrated participant in and contributor to the University’s education mission.”
“Clearly, Notre Dame’s athletic programs are part of — not separate from — our broader educational mission,” the school clarified further. “We will vigorously defend our approach to ensuring that being a ‘student-athlete’ describes precisely the educational and developmental experience our students receive at Notre Dame.”
The unfair labor practice charge will provide a new task for Notre Dame athletics director Pete Bevacqua, who inherited the position on March 25.
