Contract negotiations may occur if NIU faculty members’ intent to unionize with the Illinois Federation of Teachers, filed Thursday, is certified.

One of the first steps a newly-certified group often takes is beginning contract negotiations, said Kenzo Shibata, media director of Illinois Federation of Teachers. Biological sciences professor Mel Duvall said this is the direction NIU faculty members will likely take.

The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board is in charge of certifying groups, and the process can take upwards of two weeks, Shibata said. Membership would apply to more than 600 tenured and tenure-track NIU faculty members.

“[Faculty members] feel that going forward, they’re going to have a voice in decisions that are being made,” Shibata said. “[They will be able] to work on issues like the gender pay gap that exists within the faculty.”

A faculty organizing committee, of which Duvall is a member, was created by the Faculty Senate in February 2015 to reach out to faculty members and discuss the benefits and concerns of joining the union, Duvall said. The decision to explore unionization was made official shortly before that meeting. Duvall said feedback has been generally positive.

The choice to explore unionization was not influenced by the state budget impasse or program prioritization, both of which have potential negative impacts for faculty members, such as layoffs and furloughs, Duvall said. However, he said he believes the budget impasse and program prioritization may have impacted the decisions of some faculty members when they decided whether or not to become members.

“[Faculty members] were very interested in trying to contribute to the protection of high quality education for the students at NIU,” Duvall said. “They wanted to have a legal and contractual voice that they could bring to the negotiating table. The faculty are the ones who interact with the students and we have the students’ best interest at heart.”

The Illinois Federation of Teachers is a teachers union that serves 103,000 professionals in Illinois, according to its website.

Members of the federation receive benefits like loan forgiveness and legal and financial assistance. Services are also offered, including assistance with contract negotiations and representation in upholding the union contract, according to the Illinois Federation of Teachers website.

To fund these benefits and services, NIU members will be required to pay dues. The cost of the dues varies from institution to institution and depends on the requested services. Payment intervals also vary. Dues can be collected from each paycheck, monthly or annually, Shibata said.

“[Faculty members] really want to ensure that professors are staying at [NIU] and building lifelong careers,” Shibata said. “Having a voice to advocate for themselves and their students will promote that longevity.”

NIU President Doug Baker and Faculty Senate President Greg Long did not immediately respond to requests for comment.