Chair’s Message

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?  Yesterday, HELU delegates came together for the first General Assembly of 2026. In addition to reviewing and approving reports on HELU activities over the […]

From Levin Kim, HELU Chair and member of UAW 4121 The struggle for immigration justice and the struggle to re-orient higher ed for the public good are one and the same. Both institutions have long been driven by the same logics of austerity, contingency, and authoritarian control. I know, like many of us, that this

Earlier this month, workers, students, faculty, and staff organized actions at more than 100 campuses across the US to call for a higher education system that centers affordability, security, and freedom. In New York, a cross-union coalition organized a successful action against Marc Rowan, the billionaire Trump ally who recently revealed himself as one of

Higher ed workers from wall-to-wall and coast-to-coast formed HELU in 2021 recognizing the need for more coalitional, cross-union work in our movement. In our current crisis, where the landscape is constantly shifting and attacks come from every angle, both the need and the opportunity for coalitional work is greater. We are proud to announce that

Levin Kim, Chair and member of UAW 4121 At our August General Assembly, HELU delegates and members discussed questions around the future of our movement to shape the direction of HELU’s work. What strategies and resources do we need for the fight ahead as an organization?  On strategy, delegates expressed interest in expanding HELU regional

Levin Kim, Chair, HELU and member, UAW 4121 Staff, faculty, university healthcare workers, facilities & maintenance workers, research workers, academic advisors – we carry out the crucial everyday work that keeps our campuses running. It’s time we had a say in shaping the future of our sector in order to build a world that actually

From Levin Kim, HELU Chair and member of UAW 4121, student workers, researchers and postdocs at the University of Washington Over the first six months in office, the Trump Administration attempted to gut funding for crucial research, attack immigrant and non-citizen workers, curtail academic freedom and freedom of speech, and more. These attacks on higher

June 2025 HELU Chair’s Message From Levin Kim, HELU Chair As we fight back against the Trump Administration’s budget reconciliation bill, we need to be united and prepared to face the attacks on higher education that will inevitably come this fall, whatever shape they may take. By revoking federal funding for higher education and pushing increased costs

From Mia McIver, HELU Chair, UC-AFT Local 1474 Dear HELU Members and Friends, As higher ed workers, many of us are experiencing mounting attacks on our scientific research, humanistic inquiry, and politico-socio-cultural analysis, not to mention our very personhood. The premises of our common educational project–knowledge, expertise, teaching, and learning–are targets of suspicion, while our

From Mia McIver, HELU Chair, UC-AFT Local 1474 Dear HELU Members and Friends, During our November 2024 General Assembly meeting, HELU delegates from around the country took stock of our current situation. Higher ed staff, student workers, contingent faculty, and tenure-line faculty from public and private institutions, from community colleges, state schools, and research universities,