AFT Higher Education

AFT Higher Education
Name	AFT Higher Education
Founded	1972
Parent organization	American Federation of Teachers
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Membership	Higher education faculty and staff
Key people	Randi Weingarten, Lorretta Johnson, Marvin Kaplan

AFT Higher Education is the higher education division of the American Federation of Teachers, representing faculty, librarians, counselors, adjuncts, and staff at colleges and universities across the United States. It engages in collective bargaining, public policy advocacy, legislative lobbying, legal action, and professional development programs. The division interacts with national and international actors to influence labor standards, academic workplace conditions, and public funding priorities.

History

AFT Higher Education emerged during a period of expansion for the American Federation of Teachers in the late 20th century, shaped by interactions with the National Education Association, United Auto Workers, Service Employees International Union, Congress of Industrial Organizations, and responses to federal legislation such as the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the Taft–Hartley Act. Early activism connected to campus movements influenced by events like the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War protests, the Kent State shootings, and the rise of faculty unions at institutions such as University of California, Berkeley, City University of New York, Rutgers University, and University of Massachusetts Amherst. AFT Higher Education coordinated efforts during national crises including the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic, and debates over federal stimulus programs such as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Its history intersects with major legal precedents from courts including the Supreme Court of the United States, the NLRB (National Labor Relations Board), and state high courts addressing rights for public employees in states like California, New York (state), and Texas. Influences included leaders and scholars connected to Randi Weingarten, A. Philip Randolph, Cesar Chavez, Ella Baker, and labor law figures engaged in disputes at campuses such as Yale University, Harvard University, and Columbia University.

Organization and Structure

The division functions under the governance structures of the American Federation of Teachers with a directorate and regional staff who coordinate with state affiliates like California Federation of Teachers, New York State United Teachers, and local chapters at institutions including University of Illinois, SUNY, and City College of New York. Committees mirror national bodies such as the AFL–CIO Executive Council, and workstreams align with policy units that liaise with congressional committees such as the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Staff collaborate with external partners including the Economic Policy Institute, American Association of University Professors, National Labor Relations Board, and advocacy groups like American Civil Liberties Union and National Education Association. Administrative practices reflect collective bargaining norms found in agreements at institutions like University of Michigan, Ohio State University, and Pennsylvania State University.

Membership and Chapters

Membership spans tenured and tenure-track faculty, adjuncts, graduate student employees, librarians, counselors, and professional staff at public and private institutions including Community colleges, State universities and colleges, Private universities, and For-profit colleges such as organizations linked to campuses like Miami Dade College, De Anza College, Boston University, and Northeastern University. Chapters operate under bylaws consistent with labor law frameworks such as National Labor Relations Act provisions and state public employment statutes including Taylor Law (New York) and California Public Employment Relations Board precedents. Local chapters have emerged at campuses with notable labor histories including University of California, Temple University, San Francisco State University, University of Washington, and University of Texas at Austin and coordinate with unions such as United Auto Workers where cross-representation occurs.

Collective Bargaining and Labor Actions

The division engages in collective bargaining at institutions including CUNY, Rutgers, University of California system, and City University of New York with negotiations covering wages, benefits, job security, adjunct pay, and workload. It has organized strikes and labor actions alongside allies like United Auto Workers, SEIU, and Teamsters in contexts reminiscent of historic labor disputes such as the Pullman Strike and the Paterson silk strike in strategy if not scale. Legal challenges have invoked cases before the National Labor Relations Board, state labor commissions, and federal courts including matters influenced by Janus v. AFSCME and other precedent-setting decisions. Collective actions have intersected with student movements at campuses like Columbia University (New York), University of California, Los Angeles, and University of Michigan.

Policy Positions and Advocacy

AFT Higher Education advocates policy positions on funding for public institutions tied to legislation such as the Higher Education Act of 1965, student aid programs including Pell Grants, and regulations from agencies like the Department of Education (United States). It supports protections for academic freedom articulated by organizations like the American Association of University Professors and has taken stances on immigration policies affecting scholars associated with DACA, research funding linked to the National Science Foundation, and labor standards influenced by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Advocacy work places it in coalition with groups such as the Center for American Progress, National Women's Law Center, Bipartisan Policy Center, and civil rights organizations including the NAACP and LGBTQ+ advocacy networks.

Programs and Professional Development

The division runs member education, bargaining training, grievance representation programs, and professional development in partnership with organizations such as National Labor College, Harvard Trade Union Program, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and think tanks like the Brookings Institution. Workshops address issues including adjunctification at campuses like City College of San Francisco and LaGuardia Community College, tenure processes exemplified by policies at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and pedagogical innovation seen at institutions like Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It publishes guides and collaborates with legal clinics from universities such as Georgetown University Law Center and Yale Law School.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics have targeted the division over priorities in negotiations, affiliation decisions paralleling disputes seen with National Education Association locals, and perceptions of politicization similar to controversies involving AFL–CIO affiliates. Debates include responses to adjunct labor conditions at Maricopa County Community College District, governance disputes at Rutgers University and CUNY, and litigation referencing cases like Janus v. AFSCME and NLRB rulings. Internal tensions have arisen concerning resource allocation, strike authorizations, and relationships with national bodies including American Federation of Teachers leadership figures and allied unions such as United Auto Workers and Service Employees International Union.

Category:Labor unions in the United States