New York A 2014: Relates to collective bargaining rights for college athletes and authorizes the public employment relations board to exercise jurisdiction over collective bargaining matters

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A02014 Summary:

BILL NOA02014 

&nbsp

SAME ASSAME AS S04760

&nbsp

SPONSORSolages

&nbsp

COSPNSR

&nbsp

MLTSPNSR

&nbsp

Ren §718 to be §700-a, add §718, amd §701, Lab L

&nbsp

Relates to collective bargaining rights for college athletes; authorizes the public employment relations board to exercise jurisdiction over institutions of higher education and college student athlete employees of such institutions in relation to all collective bargaining matters.

Go to top A02014 Actions:

BILL NOA02014 

&nbsp

01/14/2025referred to labor

01/07/2026referred to labor

Go to topA02014 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topA02014 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA02014 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 2014

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 January 14, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Commit-
 tee on Labor

 AN ACT to amend the labor law, in relation to collective bargaining
 rights for college athletes, and authorizes the public employment
 relations board to exercise jurisdiction over institutions of higher
 education and college student athlete employees of such institutions
 in relation to all collective bargaining matters

 The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
 bly, do enact as follows:

 1 Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "New York
 2 college athlete right to organize act".
 3 § 2. Legislative intent. (a) The National Labor Relations Act (29
 4 U.S.C. 151 et seq.) seeks to remedy the inequality of bargaining power
 5 between employees and employers primarily through establishing and
 6 protecting the rights of employees to self-organize and designate repre-
 7 sentatives of their own choosing for the purpose of negotiating the
 8 terms and conditions of their employment or other mutual aid or
 9 protection. Labor organizations often originate to remedy unfair and
 10 exploitative labor practices by employers through assisting employees in
 11 securing more equitable terms and conditions of their employment,
 12 including fair compensation and safe working conditions, which individ-
 13 ual employees would be unlikely to negotiate successfully for on their
 14 own. Labor organizations serve unique and essential purposes for profes-
 15 sional athletes competing in sports leagues, where it is desirable to
 16 establish uniform rules and standards across multiple employers. These
 17 rules and standards bear significant consequences to the athletes in
 18 terms of compensation, health and safety, and the ability or lack there-
 19 of for athletes to choose their employer, among other issues related to
 20 the athletes' well-being. The formation of labor organizations repres-
 21 enting athletes in professional sports leagues in the United States has
 22 helped end exploitative practices by team owners and management, partic-

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD04516-01-5

 A. 2014 2

 1 ularly through establishing collective bargaining agreements that have
 2 secured athletes a fair share of the revenues their talent and labor
 3 produces, as well as more equitable terms of their employment and
 4 protections for their short- and long-term health.
 5 (b) College athletes face exploitative and unfair labor practices by
 6 the National Collegiate Athletic Association (referred to in this
 7 section as the "NCAA") and its member institutions, primarily through
 8 the denial of the basic economic and labor rights of such athletes,
 9 which the NCAA and its member institutions have justified by defining
 10 college athletes as amateurs. The NCAA and its member institutions have
 11 denied college athletes a fair wage for their labor by colluding to cap
 12 compensation; they maintain strict and exacting control over the terms
 13 and conditions of college athletes' labor; and they exercise the ability
 14 to terminate an athlete's eligibility to compete if the athlete violates
 15 these terms and conditions. College athletes exhibit the markers of
 16 employment as established under the common law definition of the term
 17 "employee": The