The second attempt by university employees in the Department of Facilities Services to form a union failed in a vote passed Wednesday evening.

The action failed by a one-vote margin, 33-32, the closest election in a series of recent referendums by employees on the matter. The vote was called in order to address a list of grievances submitted by employees in the department. Many employees have complained anonymously about their concerns going unheard and ignored by the administration.

Director of University Communication Ben Tracy said the administration did not see the need for such an action, but would adhere to the employees’ decision had the vote passed.

“We didn’t see what a union would have accomplished,” Tracy said. “We have maintained that the system we have now is the one that works best for the university employees and the administration. That is to say, the relationship we want is the university working directly with the employees and vice-versa.”

A return to business as usual is expected to occur without any friction about the vote to form a union. The administration is looking to move on from this point with a set of normal affairs.

“There certainly won’t be any friction on our part after this,” Tracy said. “We are looking forward to working on the concerns of the employees in the Department of Facilities (Services). It’s time to clear up whatever misunderstandings exist. We need to move forward and work on these issues.”

This was the second attempt by the Facilities Services to form a union. The first attempt in 2001 also failed.

Had the vote to create a union passed, the union would have been part of Local 317, the union which tried to organize the employees. Local 317 is a part of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrialized Organizations. Mark Maierle, business manager of Local 317, was not available for comment after the vote had taken place.