As Temple faculty union’s contract nears expiration, members gear up for ‘the fight’

As the unionized faculty at Temple University near the end of their current contract, union members are reflecting on recent labor struggles — including the Temple University Graduate Students Association (TUGSA), which won a new contract in March after a monthlong strike.

“You saw how it was done with TUGSA. You see what’s happening all over the country,” said Kenneth Ruff, an assistant professor of math and science. “They are saying yes, not because they’re handing it out. It’s because of the fight.”

Members of the Temple Association of University Professionals (TAUP) rallied on campus Tuesday during a meeting of Temple’s board of trustees, five days before their current contract is set to expire.

The union, which represents more than 2,300 faculty, librarians, and academic professionals, has been negotiating with administration since Aug. 30. But there’s been little progress so far, according to union leadership.

TAUP president Jeffrey Doshna said the union has made around 30 proposals on noneconomic contract terms, but university administrators have only responded to a couple of them. The next bargaining session is scheduled for Wednesday at Temple’s Center City campus.

“We just need them to engage a little bit more,” Doshna said.

TAUP’s contract is set to expire on Oct. 15. TAUP rejected the university’s offer in July to extend its current contract for 18 months, with salary increases and the same benefits. The union instead is pushing the university to engage in negotiations now, as members seek changes to the sick leave policy, expanded parental leave, and pay increases, among other benefits.

“We are eager to continue negotiations with TAUP, which we hope will lead to an agreement in the near future,” university spokesperson Stephen Orbanek said Tuesday. Orbanek added that the university has more recently proposed an extension through Jan. 16 and is waiting to hear back from TAUP.

It’s common for unions in higher education to continue bargaining past contract expiration, Doshna noted, adding that strikes are reserved for situations when no progress is being made.

“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Doshna said. “I hope us coming here today sends a message to the board of trustees so it doesn’t come to that.”

The union’s proposals so far have included 15 sick days for all employees under the TAUP contract and a uniform long-term paid sick leave policy. The current sick leave policy — which the union also tried to eliminate in 2019 — says employees can be disciplined for using more than six sick days, even though they’re granted 10 per year, and their unused time rolls over year-to-year.

The policy was paused in 2020 for the pandemic.

“It was a bad and dangerous policy before the pandemic and it remains a bad and dangerous policy now,” said Josue Hurtado, a librarian on campus. It’s particularly challenging for TAUP employees who work on an hourly basis, such as librarians, Hurtado added.

The union is also seeking expanded parental leave and more transparency into Temple’s budget, including salary transparency, as well as increased job security by way of multi-semester contracts for adjuncts and multiyear contracts for non-tenure-track faculty.

TAUP also wants pay increases, but Doshna declined to discuss specifics of the union’s economic asks, as members are still discussing those proposals.

“The [teachers] who made a larger impact were also the ones who were more invested in their careers,” said Rimun Murad, a non-tenure-track assistant professor in writing, reflecting on his own education. “This is achievable only through equity and fair compensation.”

Orbanek said Temple’s request to extend TAUP’s current contract until January is meant to “provide the university with stability during what has been a difficult time.”

Just last month, the university‘s acting president, Joanne Epps, died suddenly. Epps was a longtime leader at Temple, having also served as law school dean and provost, and she spent nearly four decades working at the university.

» READ MORE: From Cheltenham to Temple and all stops in between, JoAnne A. Epps made people feel ‘special, important, and seen’

Epps had replaced Jason Wingard, who resigned as president in March. His resignation came after the faculty union planned to hold a vote of no confidence against Wingard, provost Gregory N. Mandel, and Mitchell Morgan, chair of the board of trustees.

At the start of Tuesday’s rally, Doshna asked the crowd to recognize a moment of silence for Epps.

While a university president isn’t typically physically present at the bargaining table, “they set the tone” for negotiations, Doshna said.

Epps had set the right tone, he added. But, he said, it’s unclear to the union whether the new acting president, Richard M. Englert, will continue that.