Members of the Oregon State women's basketball team filed a petition for union representation with the Oregon Employment Relations Board on Friday, which would give them the power to negotiate with the university, the United College Athletes Association announced in a press release. This is the first official unionization effort in women's college sports.
More than 100 women's college basketball players have signed union authorization cards with the UCAA over the past six months, giving the organization the right to bargain on their behalf. The effort began in 2024 when 100+ women's college basketball players sent a letter to leaders of the Big Ten and SEC requesting a formal process to collectively collaborate on issues affecting college athletes. Although their request was rejected by the conferences, they took it upon themselves to continue organizing into what is now the UCAA.
The full list of athletes is not available, but 10 of 13 Oregon State women's basketball players have signed union cards, including senior guard Jenna Villa, who is one of the UCAA's interim executive committee members.
"We want one voice," Villa told ESPN.
Union labor laws vary across the nation and some states ban or severely restrict collective bargaining for public employees -- which would be an issue for athletes at public universities in such states. The plan is to start bargaining with individual schools and, according to Villa, the UCAA decided to begin in Oregon because of the state's labor-friendly laws.
One of the major hurdles is that the NCAA officially rejects classifying student-athletes as employees. However, not everyone agrees with this view, including Maryland guard Oluchi Okananwa, the UCAA's interim president.
"We are professional athletes," Okananwa told ESPN. "Although the NCAA begs to differ, we are employees."
Okananwa said she wants this movement to give college athletes "a real voice" in the decisions that shape their lives and careers.
"We the players deserve more than promises," she said in the official press release. "We deserve a seat at the table, meaningful protections, fair compensation, and a collective bargaining agreement that raises the standard for everyone. This work is bigger than any one season or generation. We are building lasting power for the athletes competing today and those who will come after us."
Who is involved?
Players from nine different Division I programs are part of the UCAA's Interim Executive Committee. While this organization was founded and led by college athletes, they have the support of an advisory board with a wide range of expertise, including Los Angeles Sparks forward and President of the WNBPA Nneka Ogwumike.
"I'm excited to serve as an advisor for the UCAA to help the next generation of women's basketball players unionize, secure a CBA that raises the floor, and achieve transformational victories for future generations," Ogwumike said in the press release. "The time is now to fix that. As women's basketball players, we know that our game is growing exponentially, our labor is exceptionally valuable, and our unions can deliver transformational victories for past, current, and future generations. The bottom line is simple: college athletes deserve the same rights and protections as professional athletes."
The UCAA is represented by the O'Donoghue & O'Donoghue law firm headquartered in Washington, D.C.
UCAA's Interim Executive Committee
- Oluchi Okananwa (Maryland)
- Jada Williams (LSU)
- Charlisse Leger-Walker (UCLA)
- Brooke Daniels (Michigan)
- Jenna Villa (Oregon State)
- Malia Samuels (Indiana)
- Grace Slaughter (Missouri)
- Kennedy Lee (SDSU)
- Destiny Howell (Wisconsin)
Advisory board includes:
- Jennifer Abruzzo, former General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board
- Nneka Ogwumike, President of the Women's National Basketball Players Association
- Meghann Burke, Executive Director of the National Women's Soccer League Players Association
- Elizabeth Williams, Secretary of the WNBPA
- Cameron Brink, WNBA player
- Domonique Foxworth, former President of the NFL Players Association
- Bill Fletcher Jr., former Assistant to the President of the AFL-CIO
- Garrett Broshuis, partner at Korein Tillery
- Jon Hiatt, former General Counsel of the AFL-CIO
Not just women's basketball
On March 5, 2024, the Dartmouth men's basketball team joined Service Employees International Union Local 560 based out of Hanover, New Hampshire. This made them the first successful student-athlete unionization in the nation. However, they withdrew their unionization petition in December 2024 because the National Labor Relations Board was expected to transition to a Republican majority, which was expected to rule against college athletes being classified as employees.
Most recently, Stanford football players established a player-led fraternity chapter this summer with the long-term goal of unionization and collective bargaining with the ACC.
According to ESPN, UCAA wants to eventually represent NCAA athletes across all sports and form divisions for each sport to bargain separately.
