Higher ed labor is organizing. Learn more and join us. August 2026 HELU Chair’s Message From Levin Kim, HELU Chair and member of UAW 4121: Next Thursday, August 27, HELU member unions will be coming together at our third General Assembly of the year. We’ll reflect on our work over the first half of
HELU Wall-to-Wall & Coast-to-Coast Report: August 2026 Read More »
Higher ed labor is organizing. Learn more and join us. September 2026 HELU Chair’s Message From Levin Kim, HELU Chair and member of UAW 4121: Precarity continues to persist as an increasingly permanent feature of higher ed institutions. Postdocs across the sector are organizing to change that. Hugo Plombat is one of 1,500 Postdocs
Higher Ed Labor Report: Building Power, Taking Action Read More »
From Levin Kim, HELU Chair and member of UAW 4121: Precarity continues to persist as an increasingly permanent feature of higher ed institutions. Postdocs across the sector are organizing to change that. Hugo Plombat is one of 1,500 Postdocs at the University of Michigan (UM-PRO) currently fighting for a first contract that includes a fair
September 2026 HELU Chair’s Message Read More »
From our colleagues at American Federation of Teachers Local 2067 at the Community College of Allegheny County: The American Federation of Teachers Local 2067 at the Community College of Allegheny County is engaged in a contentious contract negotiation over fair compensation, benefits, and working conditions. In support of that effort, they are hosting a Fair
PITTSBURGH FOLKS! Fair Contract Rally TOMORROW at CCAC Read More »
From our colleagues at Tufts Library Union – SEIU Local 888: On September 8, 2026, Tufts library staff made the brave decision to publicly announce their union with SEIU Local 888. The Tufts Library staff maintain Tufts’ collections, support student and faculty research, and coordinate invaluable programs and services for campus life. Tufts University could
We Support the Tufts Library Union! Read More »
From our colleagues at UIC-UF: UIC United Faculty members have been working without a contract since August 16th, 2026. Under cover of the current federal assault on higher education, administrators at UIC and across the University of Illinois System are working to radically re-structure our university by attacking employment protections, obstructing unions, and undermining academic
Sign: UIC United Faculty – Contract Now! Read More »
A response to Evan D. Morris, “Postdocs Aren’t Burger Flippers: Why Unionization Is a Bad Idea” in Inside Higher Ed. By Hugo Plombat I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Earth & Environmental Sciences at the University of Michigan (UM), where I study climate science and oceanography. I am also an international researcher from France
Postdoc Unions are Essential for High-Quality University Research Read More »
By Sean O’Brien, Wayne Academic Union (WAU AFT-AAUP Local #6075) Higher ed unions were activated after HELU’s Michigan Senate Candidate Town Hall. After personally interacting with several candidates, each of whom presented a clear vision for higher education and labor, local unions wanted to get involved. Wayne Academic Union was not alone in this. It
Monday, Sept. 28, 2026 at Noon at the Pennsylvania Capitol in Harrisburg, PA We are standing together to advocate for a 15% increase in funding for public higher education in Pennsylvania, for the Pennsylvania Promise plan to make college more affordable, and for other higher education and labor issues. Learn more and register to attend.
September 28 – Affordable College Now! Rally for public higher ed in Harrisburg, PA Read More »
From Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO 3550) at UMich: The Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) Local 3550, the graduate workers union at the University of Michigan, is being targeted with an overly broad subpoena for union records amidst other politically-targeted court battles. This new subpoena demands a huge swath of documents dating back to January 2023; like
Stand with the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO 3550) at UMich Read More »