A coalition of labor unions called Higher Ed Labor United (HELU) urged for free college and stronger labor standards, coinciding with House Republicans’ bill to cut Pell Grants. HELU aims to unify various higher education workers, addressing issues like student debt and institutional crises. Leaders like Todd Wolfson emphasize that decades of federal and state divestment have harmed higher education, leading to rising tuition and job insecurity. They argue that the attacks on campuses are linked to broader threats against democracy by promoting a corporatized model of education.
'Now is the time to rally our forces and offer a different vision of higher education and a positive path forward,' said Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors and a founder of HELU, at a news conference in Washington, D.C.
'Higher ed is under a withering assault right now,' Wolfson said. 'But it's important for us to be clear: The assault on higher ed did not begin with Trump.'
'As a sector, we have suffered through 50 years of federal and state divestment,' Wolfson continued. He said this has led to, among other things, 'skyrocketing tuition' and a lack of job security for campus workers.
'The corporatization and neoliberal attacks on our universities are entwined with the right-wing authoritarian attacks,' Wolfson said. 'They want to stop political dissent,' and, 'as higher education goes, so goes democracy.'
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