Temple and its faculty will begin contract negotiations

Temple University has another big task on its agenda as the fall semester approaches: Negotiators are scheduled to meet Friday with faculty union representatives to finish setting ground rules for contract negotiations.

The current pact for the Temple Association of University Professionals, which represents more than 2,300 faculty members, librarians, and academic professionals at 13 of Temple’s 17 schools and colleges, expires Oct. 15. The two sides attempted to start talks last semester but couldn’t agree on a location, and then the university’s graduate student workers went on strike, followed by the shooting death of on-duty Temple police officer Christopher Fitzgerald in February and then former President Jason Wingard’s resignation in March.

» READ MORE: Temple grad students overwhelmingly ratify agreement, ending their six-week strike

The faculty union last month rejected the university’s offer of an 18-month extension to the current agreement with salary increases and the same benefits.

“I am confident that negotiators for the university and TAUP will continue to work in the spirit of cooperation, with an earnest focus on reaching a fair agreement that benefits both parties,” Temple president JoAnne A. Epps wrote in a message to campus Tuesday. “More than anything else, our students’ best interests will always be the top priority.”

Negotiations are commencing at a time when more university unions are resorting to strikes. Labor unrest roiled Temple’s campus last semester when members of the Temple University Graduate Students Association (TUGSA) went on strike for six weeks. It resulted in a new four-year contract that raised minimum pay for graduate students by about 30% over the life of the contract — closer to 40% for some in the lower tier, among other increases in benefits.

Also last semester, Rutgers University educators, researchers, and clinicians held a weeklong strike and union leaders talked about the need for job security and equity for some of its most vulnerable members. Their new agreement included pay increases and better job security for adjunct faculty.

» READ MORE: Rutgers' faculty ratify new contracts

Jeffrey Doshna, president of TAUP, said Monday that those issues are high on the list of concerns for his union as well.

“We’re focusing on job security and equity, and obviously compensation becomes part of those things,” he said.

Doshna noted that 19 full-time, non-tenure track faculty lost their jobs last fall and that others got shorter contracts. Some adjunct professors also are getting fewer classes, he said.

» READ MORE: After a tumultuous tenure, Jason Wingard has resigned as Temple University president

He declined to specify the amount of wage increases the union would seek.

The union said it chose not to accept the university’s offer for a contract extension because it would have precluded members from striking during that period “in exchange for a 2% salary increase with no mention of job security and no progress on many other important issues.”

The university noted that it is continuing to deal with a yearslong enrollment slide. This fall, Temple’s enrollment is projected to drop from last year by about 2,800 students, or 8%, to just under 31,000 undergraduates and graduate students, and the university raised tuition more than 4%. The school also remains unsure about its state appropriation; the state still has not finalized funding for state-related universities, includingTemple.

The university said that since fiscal year 2021, it has reduced expenses by about $170 million.

Both the university and the union cited inflation as a concern, too.

Temple is one of a number of universities across the region working to finalize labor agreement as the academic year ramps up. Also this fall, negotiations continue among the unions representing 5,000 faculty and coaches at the 10 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, including West Chester and Cheyney. Their previous contract expired June 30 and members are working under the old terms. The sides have not begun to negotiate on wage increases.

“We’re making progress,” said Kenneth M. Mash, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties.

Asked about the possibility of a strike, he said: “We plan for every contingency,” but that he didn’t see that happening any time soon, given the talks that are underway. State university faculty last went on strike in 2016.

Doshna said it’s too early to say whether a strike will be necessary at Temple, but that it’s something members are talking about as a possible tool if an impasse occurs, though that likely wouldn’t come for a while.

Faculty last went on strike in 1990.

“Will it be Oct. 16? No, that’s not where we’re at,” he said. “But I’ve got some members of our union who are convinced that the only way we are going to get what we need is if we are strike-ready. It’s a huge disruption and it’s not something we take lightly but it might be something we have to do.”

Doshna said he hopes that the sides can set a calendar of meetings for negotiations on Friday.

Ken Kaiser, Temple’s chief operating officer, said one issue looks to be resolved: Both sides are amenable to holding negotiations at Temple’s Center City campus.

“The university is prepared to meet as often as possible, as often as necessary and really looks forward to sitting down and hammering out a deal that’s fair for both sides,” he said.

Wage increases, he said, are a given and job security is something “we’re looking forward to having robust conversations about.”

“We would want to avoid any work stoppage at all costs,” he said. “I believe we are both prepared to begin meeting and continue meeting until we hammer out a deal that works for everybody.”