DeKALB | The election of the United Faculty Alliance union officers Oct. 26 and 27 on the floor level of the Holmes Student Center, will be open for voting to tenure-track and tenured union members.

After voting, arrangements will then be made with administrators to determine the official date negotiations will begin.

The United Faculty Alliance union will form its negotiations bargaining team in preparation to bargain with administration for higher wages and improved working conditions.

Virginia Naples, professor of biological sciences and presidential nominee for the United Faculty Alliance, said faculty members were encouraged to unionize for numerous factors, but the most important were low salaries and faculty that are unhappy with working conditions.

“Overall, our salaries are very low in comparison to other comparable institutions,” Naples said. “There is a lot of unevenness among departments, [and] there is a serious problem with sex discrimination in salaries.”

Naples said, according to her studies that go back 20 years, salaries are disproportionate among minorities and departments, and most faculty members have not received a raise in about eight years. The union will work towards a salary increase that will be paid to tenure-track and tenured faculty fairly.

The union will also work on improving working conditions. NIU has had a loss of staff, and some of those positions are being divided among remaining employees or have not yet been filled, which affects faculty members and students.

“This has affected the ability of the faculty to deliver the course content that students need to complete their majors in a timely manner,” Naples said.

The union does not have any plans to go on strike and will only do so as a last option if administration and the union can’t agree on contract terms.

NIU Spokesperson Joe King, said the administration looks forward to working with the United Faculty Alliance union.

Tenured and tenure-track faculty members filed intent to unionize with the Illinois Federation of Teachers this past April, according to an April 29 Northern Star article. The Illinois Labor Relations Board approved union certification in June.

After faculty earn its tenure-track or tenured promotion, they are eligible to join the union and participate in voting. That status is typically earned in about six years.