In 2024 alone, the number of unions for researchers in higher ed has nearly doubled—and more unionization campaigns are underway. Over 150,000 graduate student employees and nearly 12,000 postdocs are now unionized. From the huge raises that UC researchers won in 2022 to the unprecedented improvements to childcare and housing that Mt. Sinai researchers won in 2023, each new union contract raises the floor. 

The more academic workers organize unions in their workplaces, the more the entire higher ed sector will become fairer, more secure, and more democratic.