Article by Timothy D. Cedrone and Kerry E. Cahill originally published in the New Jersey Labor and Employment Law Quarterly Vol. 37, No.1/October 2015 One of the most noteworthy labor law cases of 2015 was Northwestern University & College Athletes Players Association.1 In Northwestern University, the regional director for Region 13 of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) determined that grant-in-aid scholarship football players at Northwestern University are employees under Section 2(3) of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and can, therefore, hold a unionization election. Upon review, the NLRB dismissed the petition and declined to assert jurisdiction in the case. The NLRB reasoned that it would not effectuate the policies of the NLRA to assert jurisdiction and that doing so would not serve to promote stability in labor relations. The regional director’s decision was groundbreaking, as it was the first case at the state or federal level to hold that student-athletes were employees under applicable labor law.2 While the debate about whether student-athletes should be considered employees for purposes of the NLRA continues, there has been less focus on the treatment of student-athletes under state collective bargaining laws. This article seeks to shed light on that issue and specifically address whether student-athletes at New Jersey public colleges, such as football players at Rutgers University, would be able to unionize under the Employer-Employee Relations Act (EERA). Download to read more#EERA #unionize #NLRA #studentathlete #PERC