Higher Ed Unions Rally for the Right to Learn

On Wednesday, April 17, educators, students, and union members from across New York City rallied at Foley Square to defend the right to learn, teach, research and protest in the face of escalating political attacks on higher education. Marchers gathered at Washington Square Park before making their way to the rally, where speakers called out the growing threats to academic freedom, and student safety posed by the Trump administration’s renewed assault on higher education.

The rally, part of a National Day of Action to defend academic freedom and advocate for higher education as a public good, was organized by a broad coalition of unions and faculty organizations including UAW Local 7902, PSC-CUNY, CFU-UAW, AAUP, NYU Researchers United, and GSOC-UAW. Participants condemned attacks on DEI policies, immigration crackdowns, the silencing of student and faculty voices on campus, and more. The action was part of a growing national pushback by higher ed unions, as detailed in Inside Higher Ed, against efforts to undermine public universities, gut research funding, and chill political expression.