For Immediate Release

September 16, 2024

Union Backs Higher Ed Labor United's "Statement for Unity"

United University Professions, the nation’s largest higher education union, today pledged its strong support for the “Statement of Unity for the Future of Higher Ed,” issued by Higher Ed Labor United.

The statement, released at a morning press conference in Philadelphia, calls on Vice President Kamala Harris to commit to a true reinvestment in public higher education once she wins the Nov. 5 presidential election.

Endorsed by 11 unions, including the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, the American Association of University Professors and the United Auto Workers, the plan requests full federal public higher education funding, expanding higher education access and affordability and choosing a secretary of education who supports higher education.

“For decades, our union has fought for an affordable, accessible public college education for all in New York and across the nation,” said UUP President Frederick E. Kowal. “A strong federal reinvestment in public higher education is necessary to reach this goal. Investing in public higher education is investing in America’s future. But for far too many students, college isn’t even an option. The cost of a college education is out of reach.

“We must fully fund public higher education so we can expand access to colleges and universities, make a college degree more affordable and find ways to alleviate the crushing debt too many students must bear to earn their degrees. Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz understand this, which is why my union, United University Professions, is standing with them and will do all it can to help them win election on Nov. 5.”

HELU is a national coalition of unions created to unite higher education workers at thousands of campuses across America. Nearly 50 unions representing more than 225,000 members are affiliated with HELU, including UUP, the United Faculty of Florida, the Professional Staff Congress/CUNY and the Texas Faculty Association.

UUP has supported HELU since its formation in 2021. In April, delegates to UUP’s Spring Delegate Assembly voted to formally affiliate with HELU. Carolyn Kube, UUP’s statewide Vice President for Professionals and Bret Benjamin, a statewide Executive Board member and UUP’s chief negotiator, are on HELU’s nationwide steering committee.

“Colleges and universities should provide the opportunity for everyone to attain a college degree, yet diminishing state investment, rising tuition costs and the prospect of untenable student debt has made that virtually impossible for many students,” Kube said. “A real federal reinvestment in public higher education will go far in making a college degree attainable and affordable for all who seek it. I commend HELU for taking this strong stand and I am proud that it has the backing of my union.”

“A new vision for higher ed also requires labor protections," said Benjamin. "Colleges and universities cannot continue to balance their budgets on the backs of adjuncts and understaffed, overworked offices. The quality education that students and parents deserve requires an investment in higher ed faculty and professionals.”

The statement asks Harris to unite with unions and support:

• Full federal funding of public higher education, including increased federal research funding and more aid for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities and colleges and universities that serve Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders;
• Expanding access to higher education by ending student debt and enacting broad immigration reforms;
• Providing sustainable working conditions for higher education employees, including protecting the rights of employees to unionize in all public higher education institutions and enforcing federal laws to protect the freedom to learn, speak, assemble and research; and
• Appointing a secretary of education with a clear record of supporting higher education.

“As I’m welcoming students in my UCLA classroom this fall, I’m teaching in a context of budget cuts, privatization, adjunctification, and extreme cost of living pressures for workers and students,” said HELU Chair Mia McIver. “It’s up to us in the higher ed labor movement to fight for public reinvestment that will reverse these trends.”

View the press conference HERE.

Read the Statement of Unity HERE.