PEORIA (25News Now) – Labor Day in Bloomington-Normal is celebrating its 132nd year since it became a recognized holiday.

However, for some education-based unions, they are still fighting for living wages.

25News attended this morning’s parade in Bloomington and has more about a new union dedicated to improving the lives of educators.

The Illinois Education Association is just one of the many unions representing its workers and teachers in Central Illinois.

As the beat of the drumline fills the air Monday morning, one by one each float highlights the importance of community.

“We just like for the community to know we are here and we have been around in the community for more than 20 years, so we just want to make sure that we’re visible and people know that we are an opportunity for young athletes in Bloomington-Normal.”

For those who are also trying to increase their visibility, and part of this year’s Labor Day parade for the first year, several faculty from Illinois State University.

Xiaoyang Zhao from United Faculty and a professor at Illinois State University says, ”we’re just in the process of organizing but soon we’ll be ready to fight and start our union work.”

As they make their way down Front Street, in Bloomington, they just started creating their own union for the faculty who are tenured and say it would create a better environment on the campus.

“We need a united voice to stand for each other and stand together with each other. It’s our determination and our passion to really have our voice heard and also to fight for our students and our faculty,” Zhao explains.

The faculty isn’t the only union from the university marching in this year’s parade.

“We’re comprised of many graduate workers. We represent over 400 people total at ISU,” begins Rebekah Mangels with the Graduate Student Workers Union.

The Graduate Students at the university say they are still working on securing their second contract with the school.

As Mangels tells 25News, the students are trying to fight for an equal wage, yet they do not feel like their voices are being heard by the university, “ISU wouldn’t be giving us fair wages unless we unionized and asked for the fair wages that we deserve. Right now we’re bargaining for our second contract and trying to increase the minimum stipend so that graduate students can afford to live in the area in which they work in but they absolutely do not take us seriously, but we plan on showing them that we do plan on being taken seriously.”

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