Faculty members at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse have voted overwhelmingly to join a union.

Thursday's vote was 249-37 in favor of union representation through AFT-Wisconsin, a statewide labor federation affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers. The UW-La Crosse unit numbers 328.

The vote comes amid daily protests at the Wisconsin Capitol over legislation to strip most public employees of their collective bargaining rights.

Susan Crutchfield, an associate English professor, says Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair proposal galvanized the UW-Wisconsin faculty's resolve to form a union.

In 2009, UW faculty and academic staff were extended the right to collectively bargain. Since then, faculty at UW-Eau Claire and UW-Superior have voted in favor of union representation.

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