Workers at Ikea distribution facilities in Joliet and Minooka have voted to unionize with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, a part of a worldwide marketing campaign focusing on the furnishings retailer.
The union, generally known as IAM, stated it has gained the suitable to cut price for 186 workers on the two places. IAM organizer Dennis Mendenhall stated the employees voted 83-76 to affix the union in ballots forged Wednesday and Thursday.
Mendenhall stated the union already has contracts at Ikea amenities in 4 different states. Workers there urged these in Illinois to affiliate with the union, he stated.
“Wages and benefits are always on people’s minds, but this was more about having a real voice on the job and a level playing field,” Mendenhall stated. He stated Ikea is transferring staff from Minooka to Joliet and that many staff felt mistreated within the course of.
An Ikea spokesperson stated in an electronic mail: “We believe the choice to be represented by a union lies solely with the co-worker, and we respect the decision made by the co-workers in our Joliet and Minooka distribution centers.”
The IAM has been working with a worldwide labor federation, Building and Wood Workers International, to win bargaining rights at extra IKEA distribution and achievement facilities.
One of the biggest commerce unions within the U.S., the IAM represents staff within the aerospace, transportation, manufacturing, shipbuilding, woodworking and different industries. Mendenhall stated the union has about 6,000 members within the Chicago space.