News from Higher Ed | May 2026

A group of people gather around a politician who is about to sign a bill.

A collective bargaining win in Maryland

This week, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed into law a bill that extended collective bargaining rights to the vast majority of non-tenure track faculty, including full-time, part-time/adjunct faculty, at the state's four-year public universities. The historic win was built on years of organizing and advocating on campuses and communities in Annapolis by AFT Maryland members. Now, thousands of non-tenure-track faculty members can collectively bargain over wages, benefits and working conditions.

Protestors hold up a sign that reads, "Tell Billionaire Marc Rowan HANDS OFF HIGHER ED!"

CEO uses company funds to attack higher ed

The AFT and the American Association of University Professors are demanding that Apollo's Global Management board investigate CEO Marc Rowan’s personal use of Apollo staff and resources to attack the nation's colleges and universities. The AFT obtained documents showing that Rowan used his staff and his company email to wage a political campaign that would condition federal research funding on institutions that sign a loyalty oath to the Trump administration, a violation of Apollo's Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. Rowan's political campaign, titled the Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, would impact 420,000 AFT and AAUP higher education members and their students. It would also muzzle academic freedom and freedom of speech on campus by directing public funds in ways to undermine democracy and stifle innovation.

A group of protesters rally together on stage.

We shall overcome, again

In her latest column, AFT President Randi Weingarten writes that the race to redraw congressional maps in several southern states, such as Alabama, Louisiana and Tennessee, is an affront to the fundamental values of the United States of America. This "race to redistrict" subverts power from the American voter, who should decide who their elected representatives are — not the other way around. It also peddles back decades of progress our nation has taken to ensure that all Americans have proper voting rights.

Randi Weingarten speaks at a podium as several other people stand besides her.

Where We Stand: Our Fight for Affordability

The affordability crisis is hurting teachers. The AFT/Protect Borrowers survey of more than 7,500 AFT members shows that members are struggling to get by. Some of them are relying on food pantries. Others are unable to afford gas to get to work. And some members are even delaying their retirement to help their adult children pay for housing. That's why the AFT launched our three-pronged Fight for Affordability campaign. We are empowering our members by creating tools and strategies to help them navigate cost-of-living issues. We're demanding that Congress and the White House address affordability and inequality. And we are continuing our relentless fight for collective bargaining.

NYSUT supports colleagues in immigration fight

In October 2025, Alex Lazaro Ramirez González and Yan Vázquez Hidalgo were detained by immigration and customs enforcement agents during a scheduled immigration hearing in Syracuse, New York. After months of being held at a federal detention center in Batavia, they were released. But a deportation order to Ecuador, a country neither man has ever been to, still hangs over their heads. Delegates at the 2026 New York State United Teachers Representative Assembly created a documentary showing the union's efforts to support them.

A family watches a digital tablet together.

A woman stares at her phone in her hand.