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

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

Last week in New York City, HELU members and delegates joined hundreds of striking workers and higher ed union members at the Contract Faculty United-UAW picket line. Despite the blustery weather, the solidarity was clearly palpable – and after 2 days on strike, CFU-UAW won a $14,000 raise for all workers starting Fall 2026, higher minimum salaries for new hires, and 3.5% annual raises (among other wins).

• Support PCCFFAP and its members during their ongoing strike
• Tell UIS Chancellor to Bargain a Fair Contract with Staff & Faculty!
• Support Dr. Idris Robinson following political termination
• Reinstate Former Union Presidents Mike Urbancic and Mae Bracelin
• Demand Reinstatement of Dr. Keith Jones at UMass Boston
• Tell the Portland State University Board: Reject Managed Decline, Fight for Funding
• Hands Off Drexel University’s Non-Tenure Track Faculty Policy!
• Support the newly-formed Moore Staff Union
• Tell Father Shanley: Hands off St. John’s Faculty Unions!
• Donate to Unite HERE Local 17’s Solidarity Fund, get a sweet HELU postcard!

A general strike on May Day 2026 – what does that bring to your mind? Thousands of workers marching with picket signs and shouting angry slogans? That’s the classic media image. But it’s not actually what a general strike mostly looks like.

Ever since Florida became ground zero for the attacks against public higher education roughly five years ago, many misconceptions circulate regarding how academic freedom functions down here and the ways in which it is being compromised.

HELU has been quietly engaged in regional organizing for the past year. There are regional organizing projects going on in the Northeast, around the Philadelphia area, in the Pacific Northwest and in New Mexico, among others. The work of these projects is specific to their region. This is a report from the HELU Michigan Coalition.

At a basic level, people need meaningful roles to stay engaged. As your organization grows, responsibilities must be distributed effectively. Small teams are the best structure — they allow members to take on real responsibility and build relationships with each other, not relying on a staff organizer.

HELU’s new Quarterly Open Delegate Discussions (QODDs) will allow HELU Delegates a chance to meet each other and talk though current issues on HELU’s radar. Our first QODD will be April 21 at 7pm ET/6pm CT/5pm MT/4pm PT on Zoom.

• 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

• NYU Faculty Union Reaches Agreement to End Strike – The City
• PCC reaches tentative deal to end strike with classified employees, faculty negotiations continue – Oregon Public Broadcasting
• WWU students gain right to collectively bargain after three years of lobbying – Cascadia Daily News
  • Related: What School Won’t Teach Us: Student Worker Unions as a Form of Protest – Trill Magazine
• Faculty Organizers Accuse Penn State Admin of ‘Anti-Union’ Efforts as Election Nears – StateCollege.com
• Florida bills could cripple teacher, faculty unions, labor leaders say – Orlando Sentinel
• NIH reneges on recognizing union for early-career researchers – Science
• Voting to form University of Alaska staff union begins – KTOO
• UMich Postdoctoral Researchers’ Organization officially recognized as union – Michigan Daily
• AFT1493 strike authorization passes – Skyline Review
• UIS faculty and service workers vote to authorize strike – Illinois Times
• ISU workers union delivers intent to strike as contract agreement still has not been reached – WGLT
• Faculty, Grad Workers Left Out of Virginia’s Collective Bargaining Expansion – Inside Higher Ed
• The Fight to Defend Pro-Palestine Speech on Campus Isn’t Over – Truthout

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.