About 800 staff workers at the University of Vermont are slated to vote this week on whether to join a union.
Research and library support staff, technicians, and others will cast ballots on Tuesday and Wednesday on whether they want to organize.
If they vote to do so, they must also decide whether they want to join a union affiliated with the Vermont NEA teachers’ union or a group based at UVM called United Staff.
The elections cover non-exempt UVM workers – meaning those who can get overtime pay – who aren’t already represented by unions.
NEA spokesman Darren Allen says the effort is likely to be followed by a separate organizing push to cover about 700 additional UVM professionals who are exempt from getting overtime pay.