From Levin Kim, HELU Chair and member of UAW 4121:
We started off 2026 with an energetic Northeast Regional Bargaining (NERB) summit that brought together representatives from 55+ unions across the Northeast to collectively author the Amherst Compact outlining shared bargaining priorities around topics like compensation, job security, academic freedom, health care, leave, and more.
We were also proud to rally behind our colleagues in Minnesota at the forefront of the Trump Administration’s escalation of attacks on immigrant communities by deploying ICE agents into the state in the name of “immigration enforcement.” Led by HELU’s Vice Chair Jenna Chernega, President of the Inter-Faculty Organization (IFO) at the MN State Universities, we raised funds for impacted workers at UNITE-HERE Local 17 and coordinated support for higher ed workers taking part in the historic city-wide actions in the Twin Cities on January 23.
Since then, HELU member unions and delegates have been building on this work to develop and launch projects like contract language deep-dives, statewide coalitions, higher ed labor town halls, and more. With each project, delegates and member unions are showing how we can grow and leverage our movement’s collective power grounded in mass participation and coalition-building.
And as a result, the number of HELU member unions have been growing steadily. On average, a new union local has been joining our growing movement every week. This is a direct outcome of the organizing projects that delegates and member unions have been carrying out in committees and projects to bring in more workers into our vision for higher ed that works for everyone. At the May General Assembly, we were proud and energized to celebrate hitting our original organizing goal for the entire year in April – and to set an even more ambitious goal through the end of 2026.
At our next General Assembly on August 27th, delegates will discuss how we want to build on this momentum through the rest of this year and beyond. If your union local is not a HELU member organization yet, there is no better time to join the growing higher ed labor movement so you and your members can have a say in rewriting the future of our sector – learn more about joining here, and see you at the August General Assembly!