Higher-ed unions representing faculty and staff at 125 campuses in the Northeast signed onto a shared bargaining compact aimed at coordinating contract priorities across institutions and state lines. The “Amherst Compact,” drafted by union representatives and developed at a January summit organized by Higher Education Labor United, is being described as the first of its kind in higher education. The compact includes workers across multiple categories—from teaching and postdoctoral staff to custodial, security, and food service—and covers nine states. Several major unions tied to the group have already started bargaining for subsequent contracts. Unions committed to aligned priorities including compensation, job security, health care, paid leave, professional development, career advancement, and academic freedom, and the document also calls out AI in the workplace. Union leaders said the compact creates a structure for continued coordination that previously relied on ad hoc relationships.