From Rhea Chappell, University of Michigan undergraduate student worker I started working as an employee for the University of Michigan almost a year ago in the Event Setup Team for one of the university buildings. Though the work could be difficult at times, the people I met working there and the satisfaction I felt from […]
Undergrad Student Workers Blacklisted at University of Michigan Read More »
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
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
Statement of Unity for the Future of Higher Ed Read More »
Coalition for Change: HELU’s Work in Summer 2024 From Mia McIver, HELU Chair, UC-AFT Local 1474 Dear HELU Members and Friends, Since our Founding Convention in May 2024, HELU leaders have been hard at work carrying forward our wall to wall and coast to coast vision for higher education as a public good. We’ve been
August 2024 HELU Chair’s Message Read More »
Adjunct Librarians and counselors in Arizona’s largest community college district get pay slashed in the name of “internal pay equity” from JMH, Arizona community college worker As a white working-class woman who grew up in Arizona (AZ) and has worked here since I was 15 (as a retail worker, barista, server, grocery bagger, etc.), it’s
In a stunning move, perceived pay inequality is solved by pay cuts Read More »
National Coordinated Organizing Committee (NCOC)Chair: Bret Benjamin, UUPText of the May 2024 NCOC Resolution Contingency Task Force (CTF)Chair: Joe Ramsey, FSU/MTA/NEAText of the May 2024 CTF Resolution Politics and Policy CommitteeChair: Rebecca Givan, Rutgers AFT/AAUPText of the May 2024 Politics & Policy Resolution Outreach CommitteeCo-Chairs: Carolyn Kube, MS MT ASCP (I) UUP, Vice President for
Committee Chairs and Resolutions from the Convention Read More »
from Evan Bowman – AFSCME Local 328 representing over 8,000 healthcare workers in Portland, Oregon and across our nation, and Media & Communications Co-chair of Higher Education Labor United I rise in support of this resolution both as a healthcare IT worker witnessing the ravages of privatization and profiteering on Oregon’s healthcare system, as well
From Helena Worthen, Chair, HELU Media & Communications Committee Does HELU need an international coalition partner? The Coalition on Contingent Academic Labor (COCAL) concluded its fifteenth bi-annual conference on August 9 in Gatineau, Quebec, drawing approximately 100 participants from Mexico, the US and Canada. This marked nearly 30 years of a project that is both
HELU & COCAL: Can we talk? Read More »
From Joe Ramsey, HELU Steering Committee member & Chair of the Contingency Task Force On July 31, HELU’s Contingency Task Force (CTF) and the Debt Collective co-hosted a deep dive discussion into two related crises facing higher ed workers and students alike: debt and labor contingency. Around 50 people joined for two hours on a mid-summer
Connecting the Dots at “Breaking the Chains” Event Read More »
From Jane Gabin What will it take to convince those paying for higher education that exploiting contingent faculty is bad? While there have been a number of initiatives calling attention to the widespread use of contingent labor in higher education, there has been little reflection of this by 1) counselors (those who advise high school
Check Before You Buy: Can the Faculty Afford to Teach? Read More »