DEKALB, Ill. — A local college was accused of breaking a labor law.

Northern Illinois University employees with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 1890 filed unfair labor practice charges with the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board over NIU leaders' attempts to keep union supporters from going to negotiation meetings.

After a meeting on Sept. 18, NIU management told union members that the university would stop negotiating with them unless they agreed to one condition. That condition was Local 1890 agreeing to ban their own supporters from coming to meetings.

Jessie Alex, a member of the Local 1890 bargaining committee, spoke up on behalf of the union's supporters.

“All of our union’s members and our supporters in the NIU community have the

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