An Example of Government Overreach

As you may know, I am not a big fan of unions. I come from a union heritage; my dad, his dad, some of his brothers, a few of my cousins... Well, you get the picture.

As a banker, obviously it was a union-free industry and as such, I earned every raise I was awarded, every promotion I received, all based on merit. I never received a step raise or COLA just because of my time in position.

People who belong to unions get those increments whether they deserve them or not. Workers can mess up and will receive whatever was negotiated.

So, it was somewhat disconcerting when I read an article on the Fox News website concerning the regional NLRB ruling that college football players at Northwestern University could unionize. College athletes, for the most part, receive sports scholarships in lieu of salary and benefits.

Obviously, the school will appeal the ruling.

English: Wordmark of Northwestern University. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Essentially, the heart of that ruling had to do with the fact that the conference and the school receive millions of dollars from the NCAA based on monies earned via television contracts. When you think about it, isn't the money used to defray educational costs not only of the athletes, but also helps to pay the salaries of the coaches, administrators, teachers and others in the employ of the university?

Tuition, exclusive of housing, does not cover the expenses of the university. It amazes me that when you subtract the cost of housing per year, the remaining amount is a pittance used to pay all the expenses, generally; the housing costs include meal plans. 

So, if an athlete were to unionize, under current labor law, all benefits the athlete receives would be subject to a Collective Bargaining Agreement or CBA. It would only be fair to the "employer" you know, the university. Suddenly, the scholarship, meal plan, housing and other benefits to the student/athlete would be lost, just to give a "salary" of $2,000 to "help defray costs".

This is yet another example of overreach by the federal government to place everyone on an "equal playing field." How absolutely stupid was this action. As for the athlete who helped push this along, well in his zeal, he may have hurt those he left behind. He received his free education and now he is heading for the NFL. 

Perhaps he should stay in school and take a course or two in common sense. If he doesn't, he might find himself on the wrong side of a CBA. What will he do then? Complain to the NLRB? Good luck to him on that. 

As for the NLRB, as with all other government entities, get out of industries you know nothing at all about. You will be doing America a favor.

America says, "Thank you!"