HELU Blog

Roadshow Report: October 2024

From Ian Gavigan, HELU National Director In October, HELU launched its Higher Ed for All Roadshows in two battleground states: Pennsylvania and Michigan.  On October 17 at the Community College of Philadelphia, several dozen higher education workers took part in the conversation from six different unions, including HELU member unions the Faculty and Staff Federation

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The HELU Statement of Unity from Unions in Higher Ed: A commitment to act together and an element in a long-term strategy

From Helena Worthen, Chair, HELU Media & Communications Committee On September 16, 2024, HELU held a press conference in Philadelphia to celebrate the release of a Statement of Unity. The statement lays out progressive higher ed policy for the next presidential administration. The statement is signed by 12 national unions and labor organizations including the

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HELU Chair Mia McIver’s Remarks at “Labor for Higher Education” Press Conference

The following remarks were delivered on Monday, September 16 at the press conference held at Community College of Philadelphia to announce the Statement of Unity. My name is Mia McIver. I teach as a contingent faculty member at UCLA. I serve as the elected chair of Higher Ed Labor United. HELU is a nationwide coalition

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AAUP is Changing, Moving to Join the Growing Higher Education Labor Movement

From Mike Budd, United Faculty of Florida NEA/AFT/AAUP/AFL-CIO The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is becoming more of a labor union and less of an old-fashioned advocacy organization, with new, more activist leadership, influenced by increased organizing in the higher education labor movement, and moving to counter more authoritarian management by higher education bosses. 

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Scholars for a New Deal in Higher Education – Shared Governance: A Bet Gone Bad? How Anti-Democratic Governing Boards Are Destroying Universities and What We Can Do About It

Event held on September 12, 2024 SFNDHE organized another virtual forum as part of its series to both raise awareness and provide guidance on effective action to address the crisis in higher education. It was co-sponsored by HELU and UCW-GA. Jennifer Ruth facilitated the conversation with Timothy Kaufman-Osborn, who argued that the project of shared

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UAW 2300 Workers Secure Landmark Contract After Successful Strike Against Cornell University

From Brendan McGovern, UUP Binghamton Chapter President  ITHACA, NY  – Members of UAW Local 2300, representing around 1,200 custodians, groundskeepers, cooks, food service workers, mechanics, greenhouse workers, gardeners, and other essential workers at Cornell’s Ithaca campus, have just ratified a new four-year contract. This followed a strike that started August 18 and ended September 3. Higher

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Statement of Unity for the Future of Higher Ed

View the September 16, 2024 Labor for Higher Education coalition press conference on YouTube. View a PDF of the Statement of Unity here. Dear Vice President Kamala Harris, As unions representing U.S. higher education workers, we look forward to working with you and our elected partners to rebuild this country’s higher education system as a

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