SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Clerical staff for the Illinois State Board of Education took to the streets to raise awareness of what they describe as stagnant wages.

Many clerical workers picketed outside of the Springfield ISBE building Monday evening. The group, which is represented by the AFSCME Local 2811, is demanding a higher wage increase in their collective bargaining.

Shelley Hamlin, the president of Local 2811, said their salaries have been behind the market average for decades.

“We do have employees, new people, come in to work for ISBE but they generally don’t stay after six months because they can go anywhere else and make more money,” Hamlin said.

A spokesperson with ISBE told WCIA the agency “continues to bargain in good faith with AFSCME as agency leadership seeks a contract that is fair and competitive, while also fiscally responsible.”