Library Technician Assistants vote in favor of joining

Workers employed as library technician assistants at SIUC voted Aug. 29 in favor of joining the Laborers’ International Union of North America.

About 50 workers joined the Union, which has been growing in number, according to Brandon Phelps, assistant director of the union’s Midwest region organizing committee.

“More and more employees are seeing the benefits of union membership,” he said in a written statement. “This group of workers will now have the opportunity to negotiate their wages, hours of work and working conditions into a binding contract like other union employees on campus.”

Morteza Daneshdoost, president of the Faculty Association, said workers will be able to achieve more goals with the union than if they are on their own.

“They are going to have a unified voice in presenting issues and problems they are facing,” he said. “Unions are a very democratic means of shared governance.”

The election was conducted by agents with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board from Springfield. Participants in the election included workers at Morris Library and the Lesar Law Library.

The Laborer’s is the largest union in Southern Illinois and also represents the grounds and maintenance workers on campus.

Reporter Brad Brondsema can be reached at [email protected]