University of Illinois at Springfield faculty form union

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - University of Illinois at Springfield faculty members have formed a union.

The Illinois Federation of Teachers announced Tuesday the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board certified the unit last Friday.

The group has 137 members.

The union says the effort will bring more stability. They say that means higher retention rates and more experience in the classroom.

Donna Bussell is professor of English and Linguistics at Illinois-Springfield. She says studies show that universities with faculty unions have lower tuition rates, less bureaucracy and high graduation rates.

The next step for the union is to negotiate its first contract.

In May 2014, faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign signed their first union contract. In July its non-tenure track faculty won union recognition.

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Online: Illinois Federation of Teachers: http://www.ift-aft.org/home