Lead: Labor tensions surfaced on multiple fronts as academic staff staged strikes in England and adjuncts and online faculty in the U.S. faced retroactive pay recovery notices. At Sheffield Hallam University, members of the University and College Union walked out over job losses, workload and welfare concerns after the campus eliminated roughly 1,000 positions in two years. In Texas, 65 faculty at Tarrant County College’s online campus were told to repay summer salaries after administrators said incorrect workload guidance produced overpayments. College leaders said state law requires recouping the sums, while faculty called the process opaque and punitive. The episodes underscore wider pressures on academic staffing and the fragile labor relations climate: cuts and shifting contracts put institutions at risk of prolonged disputes, reputational damage and operational disruptions. Boards, HR teams and academic leaders must weigh cost-control measures against the operational risk of demoralized faculties and potential accreditation or instructional impacts.