Members of the faculty at Jacksonville State University have become the latest to form their own union local.

The United Campus Workers of Alabama–Communications Workers of America Local 3965 today announced its formation..

It’s the third chapter in the state for the union, which started in 2019 in Tuscaloosa at the University of Alabama, while an Auburn University chapter began meeting last fall.

Among its goals are a $15 minimum wage for campus workers, base pay raises for lecturers and academic advisors, and the elimination of graduate student fees. The members point to larger class sizes, the hiring of more adjunct faculty and lack of benefits for some campus workers as issues that have galvanized organizing efforts.

The chapter is looking for staff, student workers, and faculty to join.

Attempts to reach Jacksonville State for comment were not immediately successful.

Associate Professor Lance Ingwersen, a history and foreign languages instructor, is a member of the chapter’s organizing council.

“It has become increasingly clear to our members that unionization is the most effective means to achieving fairness and having our voices heard at JSU,” Ingwersen said. “We believe that all employees should earn a living wage, have access to basic benefits, and possess safe working conditions. That is not currently happening on our campus.”

Teresa Reed, another organizing council member, said she has worked at the university since the mid-1990s.

“In the past several years, it’s become apparent that the power structure has changed,” Reed said. “It is now much more a top-down system than it used to be, which means that input from faculty and staff—and particularly those with the least power—has been greatly curtailed.”