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TUGSA has ended their 42-day strike after they ratified the March 9 tentative agreement with Temple in a 344-8 vote today, according to the union.
“This ratification landslide and the gains of our new Collective Bargaining Agreement are a historic achievement for our union,” TUGSA wrote.
The deal includes new language about the process for raising grievances, and teaching and research assistants will receive the same pay regardless of their academic discipline. It also includes an initial raise increase and a partial subsidy for dependent healthcare, and expansions of paid parental and bereavement leave.
“I am pleased that Temple University, and the Temple University Graduate Students’ Association (TUGSA), reached an agreement acknowledging the union’s priorities and reflecting the university’s respect for our graduate students and their impactful work,” wrote President Jason Wingard, in a statement to The Temple News.
On Feb. 21, TUGSA voted to reject their first tentative agreement, with more than 92 percent of union membership voting against the proposed deal and 83 percent of the union voting. The agreement offered a retroactive pay increase of 10 percent and increases to minimum pay during the next three academic years.
TUGSA has been striking since Jan. 31 for increased pay, better benefits and classroom improvements. The strike, which was entering its seventh week, has resulted in daily picketing, rallies, support from political leaders and an undergraduate march on Broad Street in support of the union.
“With a new contract in place, we must now re-prioritize expanding access, increasing educational value, growing Temple’s thought leadership, driving even greater community engagement, and elevating Temple’s global reputation,” Wingard wrote.
TUGSA leadership met with multiple state lawmakers in Harrisburg on March 6, including Pennsylvania Sen. John Kane and Rep. Dan Miller, who tweeted his support for the union.
“Hiring folks to cross the picket line and ripping away healthcare will not work and only damages the University’s reputation,” Kane wrote in a statement to The Temple News. “I’m proud to stand in solidarity with these workers and call on President Wingard to get back to the table and negotiate in good faith.”
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who voiced his support for TUGSA since the early stages of the strike, congratulated the union for securing their new deal.“When working people fight, they WIN,” Kenyatta tweeted. “[Temple University] is a better place when it does better by the workers and students who make it what it is.”
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