LANSING, MI (AP)-- The Michigan Senate has given final approval to a bill that would prohibit college athletes at public universities from unionizing.
Majority Republicans approved the bill Tuesday on a mostly party-line vote. The measure will soon reach the desk of Republican Governor Rick Snyder.
The legislation would block collective bargaining for university athletes by saying they are not public employees. It's a pre-emptive move after Northwestern University football players in April held a secret vote on whether to unionize at the private school in Illinois.
There are no reports of such efforts at any of Michigan's public or private universities. Major college sports conferences and the NCAA have spoken out against unionization.