Faith Ericson, Delegate to HELU from the Minnesota Inter-Faculty Organization (IFO) 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. Another student tells me she watched […]
Mike Budd, Delegate from United Faculty of Florida In our continuing series on what’s happening in Florida, including this and this, here’s the latest news on the state of Florida’s attacks on the teaching of sociology and the fightbacks by UFF and its allies. On Feb. 18, 2026, the United Faculty of Florida (FEA/NEA/AFT/AFL-CIO), sponsored
Who decides what we teach? Read More »
United Campus Workers (CWA 2265) hosts town hall series beginning Saturday, Feb 21 To my colleagues and comrades in HELU, from Harry Szabo. President, UCWVA 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
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
January 2026 HELU Chair’s Message Read More »
Pat Heintzelman, Texas Faculty Association State President, AAUP chapter president and HELU delegate Higher Education faculty are facing overwhelming and crushing challenges just to do the work for which they have dedicated much of their lives and money: the skills to be experts in their respective fields and prepare students to do the same. National
Texas: No Rest in the Ivory Tower! Read More »
From Jenna Chernega, President of the Inter-Faculty Organization of Minnesota State Universities (IFO) and Vice-Chair of HELU This report was written on Friday, the day before the Saturday, January 24 ICE murder of Alex Pretti, the ICU nurse who worked at the Minnesota VA Health Care system. – Editor Let’s see. I can tell a
Minneapolis, Friday January 23, 2026: Sub-Zero Anti-ICE demonstrations Read More »
Brianne Kramer, Ph.D. SUU AFT Chapter President, UCC Chapter #4738 Utah had a public sector collective bargaining enabling law, then it was repealed (“amended”) and then that was “amended” too! In 2025, the Utah State Legislature passed HB 267 S1 which, among other things: prohibits a public employer from recognizing a labor organization as a
Ian Gavigan, HELU Executive Director On January 9 and 10, more than 150 delegates representing 55 union locals from the nine states of the Northeast — Pennsylvania to Maine — gathered in Amherst, MA for HELU’s first-ever “Northeast Regional Bargaining Summit.” The summit aimed to build a sense of community and solidarity, to develop delegates’
Big Meeting! Northeast Regional Bargaining Summit Jan 9-10, 2026 Read More »
Anna Kornbluh, Professor of English at University of Illinois Chicago and Delegate to HELU from UIC United Faculty Local 6456 Understanding institutions, budgets, political power, and cultural trends is often necessary for effective contract proposals and negotiations. Some faculty specialize in accounting, some study higher education governance, some track rhetorical and creative representations and perceptions
How do faculty research strengths support power at the bargaining table? Read More »
Mike Budd, United Faculty of Florida and HELU delegate As the Trump administration’s violent assaults on every part of American democracy meet increasing resistance, its attempted takeover of higher education, including through little-known but vital institutions of college and university accreditation, is also encountering growing resistance. Faculty, students and other campus workers organized through the