DETROIT—Working-class students, faculty, and staff at Wayne State University (WSU) are under attack. The Trump administration is slashing funding, targeting research, and threatening free speech on campuses across the country. But the faculty unions at Wayne State aren’t backing down without a fight.
The Wayne Academic Union (AAUP-AFT) and the Union of Part-Time Faculty (UPTF-AFT) held a joint informational public meeting last Thursday to build awareness and unity with the students and the general public. They’re demanding that the university stand up to the Trump administration’s attacks on higher education before it’s too late.
Federal cuts hit hard
The Trump administration is waging war on higher education, the WSU faculty at the meeting told People’s World. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) slashed indirect cost rates for research grants. The National Science Foundation (NSF) is flagging studies on gender and race. The Department of Education threatens to pull funding from schools that support diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“Most of our money comes from the federal government,” said Jennifer Sheridan Moss, WAU President and Classics professor. “Research grants, Pell Grants, student loans—they can choke us out overnight.”
Wayne State serves many working-class and international students. Many of them rely on federal aid. Others depend on research jobs. Now, all of that is at risk.
Sheridan Moss warned that research cuts will be devastating. “We don’t have Harvard’s billion-dollar endowment. If they take that funding, we can’t replace it.”
Nancy Welter, UPTF Executive Director, told People’s World that this hurts students too, not just the workers. “Fewer classes mean longer graduation times and more debt.” Part-time faculty also face layoffs due to the Trump administration’s austerity measures. Budget cuts could eliminate up to 200 classes, she said.
While the unions and students fight back, Wayne State’s administration has largely been silent. The WSU President, Kimberly Andrews Espy, hasn’t adequately condemned Trump’s attacks on higher education, faculty workers said. Nor has she made any significant attempts to cooperate with the union.
“Espy hasn’t even met with the Faculty Senate…which is unheard of,” Sarah Coffey, an organizer with WAU, told People’s World. “They are supposed to share governance.”
Meanwhile, Trump vows to defund colleges that allow protests, especially when they protest Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. The Trump administration is deporting student demonstrators and union members alike who dare speak out. These attacks against free speech and the right to assemble are meant to create an environment of fear, and they’re having a chilling effect.
“People are scared,” Sheridan Moss said. “We need our president to say, ‘I’ve got your back.’ Instead, she’s leaving every option open—including surrender.”
The petition circulated by WAU demands concrete action. They want the university to publicly defend against federal attacks. They demand protection for diversity programs and free speech. They call for a freeze on administrator hiring, not faculty jobs.
The petition also insists on union involvement in budget decisions. And it demands a guarantee for the right to protest. “We can’t pretend Trump will leave us alone,” it states. “We must fight.”
Not alone in the battle
Wayne State isn’t alone. Throughout the country, unions are resisting the Trump administration’s attacks on education and budget cuts. And across Lake Michigan, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has just approved a progressive new collective bargaining agreement with Chicago Public Schools that maintains and even expands many of the programs that the federal government wants to take away.
But many university presidents still remain silent out of either fear or compliance with the fascistic maneuverings of the Trump administration, the faculty workers said.
Sheridan Moss sees a bigger agenda: “This is a deliberate attack. They want to dumb down the public. A scared, uneducated workforce is easier to control.”
But the labor movement is mobilizing. Coalitions are forming with other campus and state labor groups, Weltzer said. And students and workers are rallying against cuts across the state and nation. Pressure is continuing to build on university administrators to take a stand—a “which side are you on?” moment.
“We don’t have a choice,” Welter said. “If we don’t fight, we lose everything.”
The bottom line, according to the faculty union workers who spoke to People’s World, was that Trump’s agenda hurts all working people. Right now, they specifically target students of color, immigrant families, and union jobs. But that doesn’t mean they will stop there.
Wayne State’s faculty unions are certainly ready to resist. However, they need support from the administration, from lawmakers, and from the public. They are encouraging all allies of labor and believers in free speech and democracy to support them, sign, and circulate their petition.
“We choose Wayne State,” the union said. “We will fight for the university we love.”
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