WASHINGTON–U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Wednesday reintroduced the College Athlete Right to Organize Act (CARO), legislation that affirms college athletes are employees under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) who are entitled to the right to organize and collectively bargain for fair compensation and better working conditions. CARO would ensure athletes have full freedom to organize at their individual colleges, either by sport or across sports, or organize across colleges to negotiate collective bargaining agreements within their athletic conferences. U.S. Representative Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.-16) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

“All the breathless attention on this weekend’s College Football Playoff selection is a reminder that college sports are anything but amateur. There is no college sports industry and its $16 billion in annual revenues without the athletes' labor. It’s past time they get a seat at the negotiating table. Instead of fighting athletes' rights in courts and spending millions on lobbying Congress, the NCAA and its members should start negotiating directly with players on revenue-sharing, health and safety protections, and more. This legislation would make it easier for the athletes to realize their power, form unions, and start to collectively bargain,” said Murphy.


“We cannot wait for the NCAA to share its billions with the workers who create it,” said Sanders. “And those workers are college athletes. The College Athlete Right to Organize Act is a step in the right direction to giving these workers the rights and protections that they deserve.”

“College athletes put their lives and well-being on the line to make their schools and the NCAA billions of dollars each year – of course they should be able to unionize and make sure they’re paid their fair share of that pot. The College Athlete Right to Organize Act is a common sense next step to protect the young workers powering this industry and give them the rights they deserve,” said Warren.

“College athletes are workers, period. They are skilled and disciplined young people who deserve so much more than to be treated as sources of revenue by the colleges and universities they attend. Their lack of collective bargaining rights, pay, and ownership of their own image is a labor and civil rights issue that requires our immediate action. The College Athlete Right to Organize Act is the first step in bringing college sports into the 21st century by ensuring college athletes have the right to collectively bargain across teams and conferences, and that they are able to advocate for rights, protections, and compensation commensurate with the value they undeniably provide. College athletics are a billion dollar industry, and it’s time to treat those who make it run with the respect, rights, and pay they deserve,” said Bowman. 

The legislation is newly endorsed by the major professional players associations including the Major League Baseball Players Association, Major League Soccer Players Association, National Basketball Players Association, National Football League Players Association, National Hockey League Players Association, and United Soccer League Players Association. Actors’ Equity Association, American Association of University Professors, AFL-CIO, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, American Federation of Teachers, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers National Employment Law Project, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and United Steelworkers (USW) also endorsed the bill.

"Collective bargaining has immeasurably benefitted the workers we represent and professional sports as a whole.  Athletes enjoy elevated health and safety standards, medical benefits, fair compensation, and other rights both on and off the field.  Leagues and teams can negotiate roster construction, player reserve, and other competitive regulations.  And fans receive the most compelling entertainment product in the world.  The same result is achievable at the collegiate level, and we applaud Sen. Murphy for his continued efforts in support of organizing and collective bargaining,” said the Major League Baseball Players Association, Major League Soccer Players Association, National Basketball Players Association, National Football League Players Association, and National Hockey League Players Association.

U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-Mo.-5), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.-10), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.-4), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.-14), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.-5), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.-3), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.-13), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12) co-sponsored the legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Earlier this year, Murphy also reintroduced the College Athlete Economic Freedom Act, legislation that would establish an unrestricted federal right for college athletes to market their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL).During March Madness, Murphy wrote an op-ed in USA Today warning that college sports will destroy itself if it doesn’t get proactive about reform.

Full text of the bill is available HERE.

Fact sheet of the bill is available HERE.

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