ESSO History
Our union went through a major change in 1987 when we left the charter of Local 11 and voted to go with IEA/NEA (Illinois Education Association/National Education Association).
At first there was a bit of confusion to the official union name. We were certified by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board on May 11th 1988 as the “District U-46 Maintenance Union”. However, as far back as September 28th 1987 the IEA/NEA chartered us as “Education Support Service Organization“. To add even more confusion, we have a letter from an IEA organizer dated September 2nd 1987 saying that our constitution and bylaws were adopted under the name of ESSO, “Elgin Support Service Organization“. That was possibly a misprint, but it’s in our official documents. Be that as it may, we have collective bargaining agreements going back to 1987 that say “Education Support Service Organization”, and that’s now our official name.
In July 1987, members voted to change us from Local 11 to the IEA. IEA was chosen 74-41. Local 11 filed objections but withdrew them, and therefore IEA was certified by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board.
ESSO originally covered audio visual employees, warehouse employees, food service drivers, custodial employees, maintenance employees, and mail room carriers. Grounds employees were added to the recognition clause in the 2005-2008 agreement.
As of the 2008-2011 agreement, the audio visual employees were dropped by way of attrition, and the recognition clause was changed to read, “Distribution Center, Custodial, Grounds, and Maintenance employees.”
Welcome to the ESSO website.
We have established this website to keep our union brothers and sisters of the IEA/NEA’s ESSO local informed. We will update this website on a regular basis with the latest news and information so our membership will stay current with union matters. “UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL”
“Unionism Is Not A Spectator Sport”
Unions are far more than a kind of employment insurance policy for working people. Plenty of union members and union officials have learned the hard way that when workers come to think of their union as a business that provides a service rather than a group of people banding together to fight for common interests, the union quickly loses the clout and credibility needed to defend and advance the members’ interests. When an employer looks and sees only a small handful of paid union staff or elected union leaders, and no one standing behind them, pretty soon the employer starts thinking that “THE UNION” isn’t really much to contend with. And the truth is, that’s right. If you want a STRONG, EFFECTIVE UNION, GET INVOLVED!
Unions in the workplace
Unions are bodies that represent the interests of workers in particular industries or occupations. Unions play an important role in the workplace.
Some of their key roles include being able to resolve workplace issues by being a voice for employees and acting as a bargaining representative during bargaining negotiations.
Other responsibilities of unions include ensuring employers are meeting their minimum obligations and looking into suspected breaches of:
- workplace laws
- discrimination laws
- workplace safety laws
When working people come together, they make things better for everyone. Joining together in unions enables workers to negotiate for higher wages and benefits and improve conditions in the workplace. There are millions of union members in America from all walks of life. These individuals know that by speaking up together, you can accomplish more than you could on your own.
Education Support Service Organization 
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