A poster for a University of Illinois-Chicago event on "Fighting for the Future of Higher Education" features text about EdTech and AI in the foreground, with a blurred image of a crowd in the background.

Higher Education Labor United

**Context Profile for Higher Education Labor United**

1. **Organization Mission & Cause:**
   - Higher Education Labor United (HELU) is dedicated to advocating for the rights and interests of workers within the higher education sector. Their mission focuses on improving labor conditions, promoting fair grievance procedures, and ensuring anti-discrimination protections across universities and colleges. HELU aims to unite labor organizations and individuals to strengthen collective bargaining power and achieve comprehensive workplace defenses.

2. **Type of Activities:**
   - **Events:** HELU organizes educational sessions and workshops, such as the recent "Grievance Procedures, Anti-Discrimination Protections & Organizing Strategy in Higher Education" event. These events are often hybrid, allowing for both in-person and online participation.
   - **Campaigns:** They run campaigns to raise awareness and drive action on labor issues within higher education institutions.
   - **Collaborations:** HELU collaborates with local labor organizations, such as the Graduate Labor Organization at Brown University, to host events and initiatives.

3. **Tone of Voice:**
   - The tone is professional and informative, with a focus on empowerment and advocacy. The language used is straightforward and educational, aiming to engage both current and potential members of the labor movement in higher education.

4. **Emoji Usage:**
   - There is no significant use of emojis in their communications. The organization maintains a formal and professional tone, which is reflected in the absence of emojis in their website and campaign materials.

5. **Key Facts:**
   - **Founding Info:** Specific founding details are not provided on the website.
   - **Scale:** HELU operates on a national level, engaging with various labor organizations across the United States.
   - **Impact Metrics:** While specific metrics are not detailed, the organization emphasizes its role in organizing and advocating for labor rights in higher education.
   - **Volunteer Info:** The website does not provide explicit information about volunteer opportunities, but involvement in campaigns and events is encouraged.

6. **Writing Guidelines:**
   - **Style:** Maintain a professional and informative style, focusing on clarity and empowerment. Use straightforward language to communicate complex labor issues effectively.
   - **Structure:** Organize content in a clear and logical manner, often using bullet points or sections to break down information.
   - **Engagement:** Encourage participation by providing clear calls to action, such as registration links for events or ways to get involved in campaigns.
   - **Personalization:** Use personalized elements in communications, such as addressing recipients by name in emails, to foster a sense of community and engagement.

By adhering to these guidelines and understanding the organization's mission and activities, AI assistants can generate content that aligns with HELU's goals and effectively engages their audience.

LXCL:PLEASE REGISTER USING NON .EDU EMAIL Discounted, only price of food. Email us to inquire about discounted and complimentary rates for unions that lack the resources to cover these costs: amy@higheredlaborunited.org

HELU Member

LXCL:PLEASE REGISTER USING NON .EDU EMAIL Full price: food + staffing Email us to inquire about discounted and complimentary rates for unions that lack the resources to cover these costs: amy@higheredlaborunited.org

HELU Non-Member

LXCL:PLEASE REGISTER USING NON .EDU EMAIL Free

Member of the UIC community

Welcome Reception / October 23 / 6-8 PM Central / Chicago, ILWorkshop / October 24 / 9AM-5 PM Central / University of Illinois-Chicago&nbsp; Email us to inquire about discounted and complimentary rates for unions that lack the resources to cover these costs: amy@higheredlaborunited.org Employers and legislators are pushing Ed Tech and Artificial Intelligence through universities and colleges across the USA. Organized labor needs a comprehensive response that builds our organizing capacity through bargaining and advocacy campaigns that allow us to build power around these critical issues. Higher Ed unions are facing similar threats across campuses, whether community college, research institutions, or everything in between, but we don&rsquo;t have a shared strategy for responding to these technologies.&nbsp; From libraries substituting their employees with AI agents, to the ever growing presence of LLMs in teaching, grading, and research, from surveillance on campus of students and workers, to the entire suppression of whole lists of academic and professional services that our members perform; the rapid adoption of AI and EdTech begs the question: Who is benefiting from the imposition of these technologies?&nbsp; Particularly in light of the May 2026 Canvas hack, concerns&nbsp;about institutional adoption of AI intersect with longer-term apprehensions about the massive costs and data vulnerabilities of privately owned ed-tech platforms. Some higher ed unions are actively bargaining for protections against the imposition of AI and EdTech on their work and for greater autonomy in the use or non-use of existing technologies. Others are searching for answers and ideas for &nbsp;how to fight back against speed-ups, intellectual property theft, privacy violations, deskilling and technological replacement of waged work, administrative and corporate surveillance, and forceful implementation both in the classroom and as a managerial tool. HELU and our partners in UIC United Faculty AFT Local 6456 are hosting a day-long deep dive into Higher Education, EdTech, and AI. This workshop is aimed at: understanding and producing contract language that protects workers; &nbsp;strategizing together to create a national organizing model against the technoligarchy; creating legislative frameworks locals can take to their state legislatures and Congress; and deepening workers&#39; understanding of the issue. &nbsp; We will closely examine bargaining language and handbook policies concerning AI and ed-tech. Members of participating unions will work together to develop and understand the language others are proposing with the idea in mind of creating a framework for bargaining and a coordinated national strategy to win greater control for higher ed workers in all job categories over the use (or refusal) of technology.&nbsp; Questions? Email <a fr-original-style="" href="mailto:jesus@higheredlaborunited.org" id="isPasted" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">jesus@higheredlaborunited.org</a> or <a fr-original-style="" href="mailto:amy@higheredlaborunited.org" rel="noopener noreferrer noopener noreferrer" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; user-select: auto; box-sizing: inherit;" target="_blank">amy@higheredlaborunited.org</a>

Hi <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip" fr-original-style="" style="color: rgb(42, 42, 196); overflow-wrap: anywhere; user-select: none; background-color: rgb(248, 248, 255); border: 1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255); border-radius: 4px; margin: 0px; padding: 1px 8px; font-size: 11px; display: inline-block; box-sizing: inherit;">First name, Thank you for registering for Fighting for the Future of Higher Education: Labor Organizing, Bargaining, and Policy Advocacy in the Age of EdTech and AI. If you have any questions, please email Amy (amy@higheredlaborunited.org) or Jes&uacute;s (jesus@higheredlaborunited.org). Amy Zanoniamy@higheredlaborunited.org

Welcome Reception / October 23 / 6-8 PM Central / Chicago, ILWorkshop / October 24 / 9AM-5 PM Central / University of Illinois-Chicago  Email us to inquire about discounted and complimentary rates for unions that lack the resources to cover these costs: amy@higheredlaborunited.org Employers and legislators are pushing Ed Tech and Artificial Intelligence through universities and colleges across the USA. Organized labor needs a comprehensive response that builds our organizing capacity through bargaining and advocacy campaigns that allow us to build power around these critical issues. Higher Ed unions are facing similar threats across campuses, whether community college, research institutions, or everything in between, but we don’t have a shared strategy for responding to these technologies.  From libraries substituting their employees with AI agents, to the ever growing presence of LLMs in teaching, grading, and research, from surveillance on campus of students and workers, to the entire suppression of whole lists of academic and professional services that our members perform; the rapid adoption of AI and EdTech begs the question: Who is benefiting from the imposition of these technologies?  Particularly in light of the May 2026 Canvas hack, concerns about institutional adoption of AI intersect with longer-term apprehensions about the massive costs and data vulnerabilities of privately owned ed-tech platforms. Some higher ed unions are actively bargaining for protections against the imposition of AI and EdTech on their work and for greater autonomy in the use or non-use of existing technologies. Others are searching for answers and ideas for  how to fight back against speed-ups, intellectual property theft, privacy violations, deskilling and technological replacement of waged work, administrative and corporate surveillance, and forceful implementation both in the classroom and as a managerial tool. HELU and our partners in UIC United Faculty AFT Local 6456 are hosting a day-long deep dive into Higher Education, EdTech, and AI. This workshop is aimed at: understanding and producing contract language that protects workers;  strategizing together to create a national organizing model against the technoligarchy; creating legislative frameworks locals can take to their state legislatures and Congress; and deepening workers' understanding of the issue.   We will closely examine bargaining language and handbook policies concerning AI and ed-tech. Members of participating unions will work together to develop and understand the language others are proposing with the idea in mind of creating a framework for bargaining and a coordinated national strategy to win greater control for higher ed workers in all job categories over the use (or refusal) of technology.  Questions? Email <a href="mailto:jesus@higheredlaborunited.org" target="_blank">jesus@higheredlaborunited.org</a> or <a href="mailto:amy@higheredlaborunited.org" target="_blank">amy@higheredlaborunited.org</a>

Higher Education Labor United

Fighting for the Future of Higher Education: Labor Organizing, Bargaining, and Policy Advocacy in the Age of EdTech and AI

University of Illinois-Chicago

HELU Member

$50

HELU Non-Member

$85

Member of the UIC community

Free

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