More than 600 Northern Illinois University employees have signed a petition to join a union.
The workers are teaming up with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME, to create a union that would help improve services for the employees.
NIU employee Jennifer Jeffries says wages and services are huge concerns for the workers. But it's the idea of respect that is driving the push for the union.
“We come to work, we do our job and we take care of our students," says Jeffries. "We love our students and we would like to be respected."
Next, the petition must be certified by the State Labor Board.
An AFSCME spokesperson says there hasn’t been a time set for the completion of that step.