On Sept. 16, Temple and the Temple Association of University Professionals reached a tentative five-year contract agreement, addressing increased wages, benefits and heightened job security for non-tenured track and adjunct faculty.
During negotiations, neither party could agree on rewriting the current sick leave policy, which affects TAUP’s librarians, academic professionals and other Temple unions. Temple gives individuals within these groups 10 days of sick leave per year, but TAUP members have come forward on social media claiming they are disciplined after taking only five.
After those five days, employees are met with “informal discipline,” The Temple News reported. This includes a conversation between the employee and the employer, which can make workers fearful of potential termination. Temple doesn’t provide further information regarding the varying levels of punishment for sick leave cases.
TAUP has worked for more than a year to establish fair working conditions for union members. They now face the difficult decision of accepting an agreement that doesn’t overturn a stringent policy to meet the immediate need for pay raises and job security. Temple should implement a better sick leave policy and ensure all faculty, including those in unions, aren’t disciplined for taking sick days.
Evan Kassof, the communications director for TAUP during negotiations, said the fight to change the sick leave policy will include political allies and could impact all of Temple’s faculty.
“We are continuing to work with our political allies in the state legislature and in City Council to look at ways to change this policy – not just for those in our unit, but for every worker at Temple,” Kassoff wrote in a statement to The Temple News.
The previous TAUP contract stated that APs and librarians upheld the same sick leave policy as all other university employees. The employee manual states an employee “is cautioned to use sick days sparingly” and is subjected to “progressive discipline” if there is a pattern of abuse or violation of sick leave policy which can lead to an individual being fired.
Sharon Boyle, the vice president of human resources, said if Temple administration changed the sick leave policy for TAUP, they would have to adjust it for the rest of the university’s staff.
“Our sick policy applies to everyone at the university, except for faculty,” Boyle said. “It’s not something that we’re just going to break off a small group of people and just treat them differently than we’re treating, you know, the rest of the university. So, there’s also other implications for, you know, different bargaining units within the university as well.”
Neither the University of Pennsylvania nor Drexel University have disciplinary sick leave policies like Temple’s, so employees aren’t penalized for choosing their wellness over work. Temple should observe how other universities in the Philadelphia area handle and treat employee sick leave, heed the city’s law and create a non-threatening work environment.
In April 2021, Temple Librarian Latanya Jenkins passed away of metastatic breast cancer. Before her passing, Jenkins continued working while ill and undergoing chemotherapy, fearing she would lose her health insurance or her job. Jenkins’ co-workers believe she felt pressured to prioritize work due to the restrictive sick leave policy, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
All union members, including TAUP librarians, aren’t protected from discipline under Philadelphia’s paid sick leave law because it only applies to non-bargaining employees who are full-time, regular part-time or temporary. This creates a vulnerable work environment where employees aren’t guaranteed their allotted sick days, forcing them to work through afflictions or face potential consequences.
The loss of Jenkins is a tragedy and an example of the dangers of the current sick leave policy. Employees shouldn’t fear losing stable employment and benefits when prioritizing their health. If Temple doesn’t plan to increase sick leave days, they should at least ensure workers aren’t penalized for using their annual 10 days.
Elizabeth Allendoerfer believes the current sick leave policy leaves university workers at a disadvantage by creating an unstable workplace.
“I think it keeps, you know, professors, librarians, whoever, on their back foot in terms of job stability,” said Allendoerfer, a senior history major. “I think it negatively impacts our school community.”
The current employee manual doesn’t support a caring or healthy work environment. No one should ever have to choose between their well-being and their job. Temple administration must rework the sick leave policy so employees can face unexpected turns and illnesses without fear of termination or discipline. An administration that stands divided from its unioned workers will stand alone.
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