HELU Blog

“The kids are alright” — HELU at the DSA National Convention, Alliances in the Making

Joe Berry, delegate from AFT 2121 City College of San Francisco, member of HELU Outreach Committee and liaison with the National Labor Commission of DSA The 2025 Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) Convention was held in Chicago at McCormick place August 7-10. DSA had invited over 20 allied organizations to come so TJ Acena, Jenna

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Cuts to Earth Science at University of Maryland, College Park

The University of Maryland, College Park, has over 5,000 faculty members, of which 2,300 are non-tenure track researchers dependent on grant funding and cooperative agreements with federal agencies. The UMD chapter of United Academics of Maryland began during the pandemic as an AAUP advocacy chapter. With help from AAUP and AFT, it is fighting to

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Accreditation Bodies: Ideological Cartels or Guardians of Academic Freedom and the Public Good?

From Mike Budd, United Faculty of Florida and Higher Education Labor United Governors in Old Confederacy States Authorize Their Own Accreditation Cartel Governors and other politicians in at least seven southern states are reportedly making plans to replace the current accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), with a new, politically conservative accrediting

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July 2025 HELU Chair’s Message: What’s happened in higher ed since the November election?

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

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What is HELU Doing at the DSA Convention in August?

From TJ Acena, HELU Secretary-Treasurer and member of AFSCME Local 328 On August 9th, representatives from Higher Education Labor United will be attending the Democratic Socialists of American biennial convention in Chicago to take part in their first ever Cross-Organizational Political Exchange. HELU, a coalition of local labor unions and labor-related organizations, along with other

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Joint Union-Senate Mutual Academic Defense Compacts in SUNY and CUNY Systems

From Bruce Simon, SUNY Faculty Senate President and a member of Fredonia NY UUP Hours before the signing of the federal budget reconciliation megabill, ten current and former leaders of SUNY’s and CUNY’s governance bodies issued a July 4 declaration. Candice Vacin, President of the SUNY Faculty Council of Community Colleges (FCCC), described it as “a

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