Temple Union of Resident Assistants is officially being recognized by the university and is preparing for a union election, a union representative wrote in an email to The Temple News. A date has not yet been set.
Following the election, the union plans to begin contract negotiations with Temple. TURA aims to secure fair wages and improved working conditions for student RAs, who say their current responsibilities exceed the compensation they receive.
“TURA is thrilled to learn that Temple has finally agreed to a unit definition,” a spokesperson for TURA wrote in a statement to The Temple News. “After working tirelessly since before the school year, we could not be more excited to go on to an election and continue on our path to unionizing.”
The organization’s scheduled hearing with the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board on March 26 was canceled after the university agreed to recognize TURA’s bargaining unit.
TURA has been pushing for recognition since the fall semester. The union requested formal recognition and asked Temple’s administration to collaborate with them toward a bargaining process in a letter to President John Fry Nov. 20, 2024. An earlier letter had been sent for former President Richard Englert and the Board of Trustees on Sept. 30.
The PLRB initially declined to direct a hearing in November, citing that TURA did not meet its standards for a union election. The university’s agreement to recognize the group now allows the process to move forward.
“This would not have been possible without the efforts of each and every one of our members,” wrote the TURA spokesperson. “With the current political climate, this is a testament to the vitalness of community support and taking care of our own.”
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