Student-Athlete Employee Issue Just the Start for NLRB’s Counsel

An effort to classify some college athletes as employees by the federal labor board’s top attorney could reach far beyond sports, giving additional protection to workers in other industries misclassified as independent contractors.

In a memo released Wednesday, National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo said she would formally ask the board to classify student-athletes as employees, a move that would give players the right to form a union and afford them legal protection against punishment for speaking out about lack of pay and other workplace issues.

While the designation would be limited to private colleges—public institutions fall ...