They should be bargaining collectively, but they&#x27;re not being allowed to do so.  The NLRB acknowledged that football players at Northwestern University are employees, but then refused to say whether they can form a union on the basis of a technicality (specifically, that the university is a state institution, and the NLRB only has jurisdiction over private employers).  So none of the employees in question is represented by a union, and it&#x27;s not clear whether any or all of them are even legally entitled to such representation if they elect it.<p>I agree that this would go a long way toward addressing the fundamental inequity here, at least for the tiny fraction of employees whose skills are actually generating cash for their employers.  It&#x27;s pathetic that we can&#x27;t agree that everyone has the right to join a union and bargain collectively if they wish, but that&#x27;s where we are.