Union Members Address Growing Rightwing Threat on Campus

Higher education labor and social justice organizing are in a historic upswing. Unfortunately, at the same time—and in direct response—the Right is waging an unprecedented assault on institutions, workers, and students. Rightwing pundits, legislators, and think tanks have threatened the future of higher education, making this onslaught a core part of their overall strategy to consolidate power. Attacks on curriculum; affirmative action; diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programming; democratic governance; state and federal funding; and, the very mission of higher education in a democratic society are now prevalent.

This report reveals that in the context of an already precarious workforce—struggling with low wages, increased workloads, and a lack of voice in decision making—attacks on freedom on college campuses compound with existing issues, creating a heightened crisis. 

Surveys and interview data analyzed in this report come from union members across 10 Southeast and Southwest states, where workers’ rights and wages are suppressed and the recent attacks on higher education have been most severe. The experiences of these members provide a bellwether for future trends in higher education if rightwing extremists are not defeated in the presidential election and by building political and labor power at the state and local levels in the decade to come.