HELU’s Wall-to-Wall & Coast-to-Coast Report: February 2026

From Levin Kim, HELU Chair and member of UAW 4121:

What would it look like for the higher ed labor movement to make our collective power visible on May 1st, 2026?

On Wednesday, HELU delegates came together for the first General Assembly of 2026. In addition to reviewing and approving reports on HELU activities over the last three months, delegates engaged in discussions looking towards May Day – and the fights that we know are coming up ahead. From on-campus struggles to sector-wide attacks, our power to win lies in our ability to organize across our differences towards a transformative vision for higher ed. 

There is a student I haven’t seen since the first week of the semester. He’s in the National Guard and has been deployed to respond to the mayhem brought on by the “Metro Surge” in the Twin Cities.

In states where there are holes in public sector collective bargaining enabling legislation, the fight for the right to unionize and bargain has to take place in the legislature and on the ground. On February 10, we submitted testimony in support of House Bill 106/Senate Bill 6, which would grant collective bargaining to non-tenure-track faculty in Maryland’s four-year public institutions of higher education.

On Feb. 18, the United Faculty of Florida (FEA/NEA/AFT/AFL-CIO), sponsored a webinar, “Who Decides What We Teach? Sociology and the Politics of Curriculum.” Click here for access to the webinar & transcript, plus links to media coverage, analysis and lots of supporting documents.

We know that in states where public service workers have Collective Bargaining rights, the outcomes aren’t just good for those workers. They are also good for  the community and for democracy. If the workers who are tasked with carrying out a democratic program have negotiating power they are able to enforce a more robust democracy.

• Submit Faculty Feedback to CPHE Accreditation Standards
• Tell Father Shanley: Hands off St. John’s Faculty Unions!
• Donate to Unite HERE Local 17’s Solidarity Fund, get a sweet HELU postcard!

• 3/5: Kickoff with Mark Huelsman
• 3/12: The Making of the Student Debt Crisis with Astra Taylor
• 3/26: Tuition Prices with Doha Mekki
• 4/16: An Abolitionist History of the U.S. University with Eli Meyerhoff, Abigail Boggs, Nick Mitchell, and Zach Schwartz
• 4/23: The Erosion of Academic Labor with Higher Ed Labor United
• 5/7: Plutocratic Governance with Charlie Eaton

• St. John’s University says it no longer recognizes faculty unions after 56 years – National Catholic Reporter
• Faculty union warns of state overreach in newly revised sociology textbook – The Gainesville Sun
• NYU Contract faculty union approves strike – Washington Square News
• UC UAW units vote to vote to authorize unfair labor practice strike – Daily Bruin
• Teamsters Local 2010 Strike Across CSU Campuses Over Contract Violations – The Pioneer
• Whatcom Community College lays off tenured faculty member; union calls foul – Cascadia Daily News
• Lawmakers urge Penn State to allow a fair & free process for faculty unionization – WJAC-NBC
• AFSCME union files cease and desist against SIUE for unfair labor practices – The Alestle
• Long Beach Community College District to pay $18M to settle adjunct lawsuit – EdSource
• Bargaining gridlocked between Portland Community College and its two unions, strike looms – Oregon Public Broadcasting

We invite you to support HELU’s work by making a direct financial contribution. While HELU’s main source of income is solidarity pledges from member organizations, these funds from individuals help us to grow capacity as we work to align the higher ed labor movement.

We’re building a higher ed labor movement wall-to-wall and coast-to-coast. Time to dress like it! HELU hats, t-shirts, and hoodies are available now.