Kathleen Gray

Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau

LANSING – A bill banning college student athletes from forming unions is on its way to Gov. Rick Snyder after receiving final passage in the Michigan Senate Tuesday.

Without any discussion or committee hearings, the Senate voted 27-11, mostly along party lines, to pass the union ban.

"The issue of student athletes and unions is one that will require study, and the governor will give the bill a thorough review once it is presented to determine whether or not he should sign it into law," said Snyder's spokesman Dave Murray.

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Al Pscholka, R-Stevensville, excludes university athletes from the definition of "public employees," which would bar them from forming unions.

Football players at Northwestern University sought university certification earlier this year, and it's a live issue on many college campuses, where it could have major implications for college sports. It hasn't been an issue yet at any Michigan colleges or universities.

Pscholka said last week that there is a desperate need for employees in so many technical fields and only 2% of the high school kids who play sports end up playing at a Division I college.

"We want you to be students first," he said.

Contact Kathleen Gray: 517-372-8661, kgray99@freepress.com or on Twitter @michpoligal.