Gurnee District 56 support staff file to form a union

Professional support staff in Gurnee District 56 on Friday filed authorization cards with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board affirming their intent to form a union.

The district’s 70 support staff serve as paraprofessionals, technology specialists, clerical workers, maintenance personnel, custodians and student service workers, according to the Illinois Federation of Teachers.

The new union will become Local 504 of the Lake County Federation of Teachers, a local union of IFT.

The state labor relations board is expected to certify the new union by no later than August. The process to establish a governing structure and electing leadership will follow, according to an IFT news release.