Another Lawrence County courthouse office may soon be joining the teamsters union.

The employees of the Lawrence County Auditor’s Office have sent the county commission a request for recognition. If it gets approval, the union would represent eight of the office’s nine employees. Chief Deputy Auditor Chris Kline would not be eligible because he functions in an administrative capacity. Laura McComas, one of those eight employees, said there were several reasons behind the decision to unionize.

“Other departments that are union are getting three percent raises each year and we haven’t gotten a raise in two years. Insurance is another reason. And job protection,” McComas said.

Both the commission and auditor Ray T. Dutey must sign off on the request before negotiations can begin.

The employees of the treasurer’s office, engineer’s office, clerk of courts and 911 dispatching center are all members of the teamsters union.