Niles Township High School District 219 v. Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board

**School District Loses Bid to Keep IT Workers Out of Union** Niles Township High School District 219 tried to prevent two of its technology employees—a systems and networking engineer and a web communications assistant—from joining the teachers' union. The school district argued these IT workers should be classified as "confidential employees" because of their access to sensitive information, which would have legally barred them from union membership and collective bargaining. The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board disagreed with the district and ruled that these employees were not truly "confidential" in the legal sense. The school district appealed this decision to court, but lost. The Illinois appellate court upheld the labor board's ruling, confirming that both IT workers have the right to join the union and participate in collective bargaining. **Why This Matters for Workers:** This decision protects the union rights of support staff who work with technology or have access to certain information systems. Employers cannot simply label employees as "confidential" to prevent them from unionizing—there must be legitimate legal grounds. The ruling helps ensure that workers who provide technical support services maintain their rights to organize and bargain collectively for better wages and working conditions.