Labor unions representing faculty and staff across 125 campuses signed onto an “Amherst Compact,” aiming to coordinate shared bargaining goals across state lines and institution types. The compact is described as the first of its kind in higher education, with priorities spanning compensation, job security, health care, paid leave, professional development, career advancement, academic freedom, and AI use in the workplace. The effort was written by local and state union representatives at a summit organized by Higher Education Labor United at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Leaders said the structure is intended to move beyond ad hoc coordination and establish a forum for ongoing alignment. The compact arrives as higher education faces budget strain, enrollment pressures, and rising unionization—raising the likelihood that bargaining outcomes will become more coordinated and harder to isolate campus-by-campus.