'Defend, Don’t Defund': UChicago labor rally shows campus tilt toward union activism

On Oct. 18, more than 100 workers and students gathered on the University of Chicago’s Main Quad for the “Defend, Don’t Defund” rally opposing planned university budget reductions.

The event, as reported by the Chicago Maroon, was organized by Graduate Students United (GSU) alongside the UChicago Labor Council, the campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), National Nurses United (NNU), and other faculty–staff unions. Participants framed the cuts as a threat to graduate education, humanities funding, and campus jobs.

Speakers used phrases such as “solidarity,” “fair wages,” and “people over profits,” signaling a unified labor-oriented message. One Ph.D. student in Germanic Studies told the Chicago Maroon that the administration’s approach was “top down … with no input from the people they would affect.” 

While protest signs criticized “austerity,” few speakers referenced the university’s publicly cited rationale for its cost-cutting plan—reducing a reported $288 million deficit and addressing longer-term financial strain.

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Although the rally was not formally sponsored by the administration, its placement on the Main Quad and extensive social-media promotion gave it broad campus visibility. Student press outlets published coverage sympathetic to the unions’ position but included minimal financial context or administrative comment. 

According to the Chicago Maroon, the gathering highlighted faculty concerns over “departmental mergers in the Division of the Arts & Humanities” and potential staff cuts. 

Rally organizers and campus media repeatedly invoked “defend” and “austerity” language, while fiscal trade-off discussions and alternative viewpoints—such as cost-containment arguments from university leadership—were largely absent. 

The imbalance raises questions about whether the campus environment provides equal exposure for competing ideas on budget policy and institutional governance.

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Budget strain has been an escalating issue for UChicago. Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that the university faced a widening financial gap tied to heavy borrowing, rising maintenance costs, and slowing endowment returns. 

The article cited administrators describing a multi-year plan to reduce expenses and reallocate resources toward research priorities. Despite these measures, faculty groups have argued that such financial corrections disproportionately affect graduate students and lower-paid staff, fueling tensions reflected in October’s rally. 

Campus Reform has reached out to the University of Chicago for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.