Wentzville — Police officers in Wentzville have voted to unionize.

A 20-14 vote Wednesday makes Laborers' Local 1032 the bargaining unit for the department's patrol officers. Sergeants and command staff were not eligible to vote. The police force in the St. Charles County city has 56 commissioned officers and 19 civilian employees.

In May 2007, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that public employees — including police officers and teachers — have a constitutional right to engage in collective bargaining with their government employers. The court voted 5-2 to throw out a 1947 state Supreme Court decision that granted collective bargaining only to workers in the private sector.