Tenured and tenure-track faculty members at Michigan Technological University voted this week against having their union, the American Association of University Professors, continue to represent them.

In a secret ballot, 143 faculty members voted against the union and 136 voted to keep union representation, according to a news release from Michigan Tech. A majority of the university’s 313 faculty members had to vote in favor of retaining the AAUP for it to remain their union.

The election was prompted by a petition filed by a Michigan Tech professor in October. The petition was signed by at least 30 percent of faculty members, who said they no longer wanted the AAUP to represent them.

Faculty members voted to unionize in 2004.

A message posted early this morning on the Web page of the AAUP’s Michigan Tech chapter expressed disappointment about the outcome and said the union believed “the narrowness of the defeat sends a message that many faculty desire a stronger voice in decisions concerning the university’s goals and government.”

The AAUP, which saw its contract negotiations with Michigan Tech’s administration suspended when the petition was filed, “will continue to work to protect academic freedom and tenure, and we will continue to press for a strong voice for faculty in university decisions,” the statement said.

The Michigan Employment Relations Commission, which conducted the election, will have to certify the vote, which includes six challenged ballots and three spoiled ballots. —Audrey Williams June