On Friday there were 76 Northwestern football players who were eligible to cast a ballot in the union certification vote. Although the vote is complete, the ballots will not be counted until the NLRB rules on the decision of its Chicago regional office?s decision that the college athletes were also employees of the university. All of the players declined to comment on the vote, except Traveon Henry who only said, ?It?s a relief to have it off our plate.? A former player, Michael Odom, had said that he had been encouraging his former teammates to join the union, but expected that Friday?s vote would be unfavorable for the union. A lone picketer, a former high school basketball coach from Detroit, held a pro-union sign, ?Vote Yes.?
See "Waiting Game Follows Union Vote by Northwestern Players", Ben Strauss, The New York Times, April 27, 2014