We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Jennifer Lee Hoffman, Associate Professor, and Regena Pauketat, Ph.D. Candidate, are recipients of the Washington Star Labor Reproach Grant. Their research on labor law and how changes to college athlete employment status will impact students in Washington state has earned them this grant from the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies. Each year the Harry Bridges Center for Labor Studies awards grant funding to UW graduate students and faculty for research on aspects of labor directly relevant to policymakers in Washington State.
Below is the research project summary provided by Dr. Hoffman and Regena Pauketat:
State legislatures, federal courts, and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) are all considering questions of college athlete compensation, including whether college athletes should be reclassified from student status to employee status. These cases also consider questions over a fair college athlete wage and other worker protections and benefits such as overtime pay, antitrust restrictions related to endorsements, medical and injury support, and access to media rights and other revenue generated by college athletic programs. Yet, there are no models for college athlete employee status that currently exist. Therefore, we examine labor law and how changes to college athlete employment status will impact students in Washington state. Our report provides findings and recommendations for current and prospective athletes, labor organizations and unions supporting college athletes, and Washington state lawmakers at the state and federal levels interested in college athlete employee legislation.