Oregon Labor Federation Stands in Support of OSU Women’s Basketball Players

Oregon Labor Federation, AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor issued the following statement in support of women’s college basketball players at Oregon State University organizing to join the United College Athletes Association : 

“The Oregon Labor Federation, AFL-CIO proudly stands with the Oregon State University (OSU) women's basketball players and all of the more than 100 college women's basketball players across the country pursuing union representation through the United College Athletes Association (UCAA). A grassroots labor union founded with participation and support from prominent college athletes, the UCAA has worked diligently, in consultation with the national AFL-CIO, to bring the benefits of unionization and collective bargaining to college athletes. It has focused its initial organizing campaign on women's college basketball, an effort that made history in the great state of Oregon on July 31, 2026, when the UCAA filed a petition with the Oregon Employment Relations Board (ERB) to represent the OSU women's basketball team, the first official union representation petition in women's college sports history. 

The UCAA’s campaign, which was born out of a basic truth: the NCAA is a multi-billion dollar business that ceases to exist without college athlete labor. Despite that reality, the NCAA has failed to protect athletes’ interests as workers; instead, they’ve spent years litigating against athletes while lobbying Congress for legislation that grants them an antitrust exemption that undermines college athletes’ labor rights and collective bargaining power. 

The NCAA claims Congress must save college sports with an antitrust exemption, but the reality is every major professional sports league succeeds because of collective bargaining, not in spite of it. Collective bargaining creates the legal structure that keeps the business safe, fair, and sustainable through enforceable rules that promote competitive equity. Most importantly, it guarantees the athletes have a true voice in decisions that impact their lives, families, and futures.

 For all these reasons, the Oregon Labor Federation, AFL-CIO is proud to stand in solidarity with the UCAA and all of the courageous college athletes organizing to secure a real seat at the table.”