Temple RAs and other undergrad workers want a union of their own

Undergraduate students employed at Temple University as resident assistants, peer mentors, and executive board members of the residence hall association want to form a union.

Some 78% of the 132 would-be union members submitted a letter addressed to school leadership on Monday, asking them to recognize their union. They are looking to join OPEIU Local 153, which also represents RAs at the University of Pennsylvania, Swarthmore College, and Drexel University.

“We believe that Temple is a place where the administration is open, receptive, and collaborative, and makes the well-being of its staff a top priority. To unionize is to embrace those values and continue to ensure that everyone’s voice is respected and heard,” reads the letter, addressed to university president Richard Englert and the Temple Board of Trustees.

If the school does not agree to voluntarily recognize the union by Friday, the group plans to ask the university to agree to a union election.

If the university does not voluntarily recognize the union or allow an election, the student workers could take the matter to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, said Scott Williams, an organizer with OPEIU Local 153.

University leaders, through Temple spokesperson Stephen Orbanek, acknowledged that they received the student workers’ request Monday. Orbanek said they are reviewing it.

“We deeply value the contributions of these students, and we are committed to providing them with outstanding leadership opportunities and learning experiences,” Orbanek added.

Temple’s peer mentors and resident assistants live in the dorms and are expected to work a minimum of 20 hours per week, according to OPEIU. Their duties include meeting with residents, coordinating events, and attending weekly staff meetings.

As compensation, they receive a dorm room to live in, a meal plan, and a $200 stipend per semester, which is directly put toward their tuition.

“Being an RA and building connections with residents is one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had in college,” said Temple RA Mario Rodriguez Canuto. “However, those good moments are not enough to make up for all the stress and burnout that we often go through. Unionizing is an important step to get more support and proper compensation for all the work that RAs do so that we can also offer better support to our residents.”

The news of the student unionizing effort comes less than two weeks after Temple’s faculty union reached a tentative agreement with university administration on a five-year contract, which includes raises. The faculty union bargained that contract for over a year.

The efforts also come at a time of leadership transition at Temple. John A. Fry, who was president of Drexel University for 14 years, will become Temple’s new president in November.

OPEIU Local 153 represents resident assistants at Penn, who got their first union contract in June. Resident assistants at Drexel and Swarthmore also formed unions in the past year, organizing with OPEIU Local 153.

This story has been updated with a statement from Temple University.