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THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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NATIONAL
College athletes take labor case to Capitol Hill
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON Northwestern University athletes trying to unionize presented their case to lawmakers Wednesday after a federal agency said they have the same rights to bargain collectively as other workers.
"Health and safety of athletes is the concern, especially to reduce the risk of brain trauma," said Ramogi Huma, president of the National Colleges Players Association, an advocacy group.
Added former Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter, cofounder of the association: "We're up here raising awareness."
Even though the issue is not directly before lawmakers, "Congress is an important part of the chess board," Colter said after meeting with Sen. Sherrod B., D-Ohio.
Brown said "the right to fair treatment is why all workers, no matter the job or venue, should have the opportunity to unionize."
"College athletes dedicate the same hours to their support as full-time employees and deserve the same protections as any other worker," Brown said in a statement.
Colter, Huma and Tim Waters, national policy director of the United Steelworkers union, were trying to drum
up support during their time on Capitol Hill on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Steelworkers are underwriting and financing the effort.
"We're up here to let the leadership know what's going on, basically getting information out," Huma said.
The visits came a week after the Chicago-region director of the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Northwestern's football players on scholarships are employees of the university under the National Labor Relations Act and therefore have the right to vote to unionize.
"And they're seeking the right to form a union for the purposes of putting some balance back in that relationship."
REP. GEORGE MILLER
California Democrat
Northwestern, based in Evanston, Ill., has said it will appeal the ruling. It has until April 9 to do so. The full NLRB has yet to weigh in on the finding.
Stacey Osburn, director of public and media relations for the NCAA, said in a statement that Huma's
concern was "unwarranted." A Northwestern official has said that the students were not employees and that unionization and collective bargaining were not the appropriate methods to address their concerns.
"The law is fairly clear and consistent with Northwestern's position, so the NCAA has made no contacts with anyone in Congress attempting to ban the unionization of student-athletes." Osburn said.
Colter, however, called the decision a "strong ruling" and predicted it "will be hard to overturn."
The NLRB does not have jurisdiction over public universities, so the push to unionize athletes has been primarily targeted toward private schools such as Northwestern.
Rep. George Miller of California, the top Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, said after a meeting with the Northwestern group that "what they've drawn up here is a list of concerns that they have as athletes in Division I schools where there is clearly an imbalance in the relationship. And they're seeking the right to form a union for the purposes of putting some balance back in that relationship."
Former Northwestern University football quarterback Kain Colter, right, Ramogi Huma, founder and President of the National College Players Association left, and Tim Waters, Political Director of the United Steel Workers, arrive on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday.
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Pennsylvania court won't hear Sandusky appeal
CRIME
ASSOCIATED PRESS
HARRISBURG, Pa. The state's highest court on Wednesday said it would not review Jerry Sandusky's child molestation conviction, but other legal avenues remain open to the former Penn State assistant football coach.
Sandusky had asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to take up his 45-count conviction, arguing his lawyers were rushed too quickly to trial in 2012 and that prosecutors improperly made reference to his decision not to testify.
He also said the trial judge should have issued a jury instruction about how long it took his victims to report the abuse and that jurors should not have been told to weigh evidence of his good character against all other evidence.
Sandusky's defense attorney Norris Gelman said he was disappointed by the Supreme Court's decision, which was
issued in the form of a one sentence order.
Sandusky has the right to file a new appeal.
"I'm sure he will," Gelman said.
Attorney General Kathleen Kane, whose office prosecuted Sandusky, issued a statement saying she was pleased with the decision.
"Protecting Pennsylvania's children is one of my top priorities and I remain committed to seeking justice for all victims of sexual abuse," Kane said.
The prosecutor's office had said that Sandusky did not provide sufficient basis for the Supreme Court to take up the matter and that decisions made by the trial judge did not violate his rights.
Michael Boni, a lawyer who represents Aaron Fisher and other Sandusky victims, said the Supreme Court made the right call.
"Hopefully this will, once
and for all, put to bed any lingering hopes that Jerry will have his sentence reversed, his convictions reversed." Boni said. "It's a happy day for the victims."
Sandusky, 70, is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence for
"...I remain committed to seeking justice for all victims of sexual abuse."
KATHLEEN KANE
Pennsylvania attorney general
sexual abuse of 10 boys.
Gelman said Sandusky can file a new appeal under the state's Post Conviction Relief Act. That appeal, he said, could address any newly discovered evidence as well as any claims that Sandusky's lawyers were not effective.
Sandusky also could eventually take his case to federal court.
Eight of his victims testified at trial, describing a range of abuse from grooming and fondling to oral and anal sex, including attacks in the basement of Sandusky's home outside State College. Another witness, a graduate assistant for the team who had been a quarterback for the Nittany Lions, testified he saw Sandusky having sexual contact with a boy inside a team shower late on a Friday night.
Sandusky did not testify on his own behalf but has maintained his innocence. His lawyer has said the victims' testimony was motivated by a desire to cash in. Penn State announced last year it was paying $59.7 million to 26 people who had raised claims of abuse at Sandusky's hands.
His defense lawyers repeatedly sought delays
During a post-sentencing hearing, however, defense attorney Joe Amendola acknowledged that he had not discovered anything afterward that would have changed his trial strategy.
before trial, saying they were swamped by an enormous amount of material from prosecutors and needed more time to examine the background of his accusers.
Sandusky's 2011 arrest led to the firing of Hall of Fame football coach Joe Paterno and significant penalties levied against the school by the NCAA. Paterno was stripped of 111 of his 409 career wins while the school was fines $60 million, banned from bowl games for four years and faced steep scholarship cuts.
Three other high-ranking school officials, including the then-president, face charges they covered up complaints about Sandusky. Their case has not yet gone to trial.
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