National union and political leaders rally for striking Temple graduate students, while school issues warning

On Day 3 of the first strike in their history, graduate student teaching and research assistants at Temple University got support from a national union leader and local politicians during a rally on campus.

Meanwhile, the university warned students in writing that if they didn’t tell their department chairs by 5 p.m. Thursday that they would work, they would lose not only their salaries and benefits, but also their free tuition, which could amount to as much as $20,000 for some students.

» READ MORE: With negotiations at a stalemate, Temple graduate students go on strike

The Temple University Graduate Students’ Association (TUGSA), which represents 750 graduate students, went on strike Tuesday for the first time in its history after more than a year of negotiations failed to produce an agreement. The students teach core undergraduate courses and assist professors with research.

“It should not take a strike at an academic institution that professes it wants academic freedom and professes it wants to rise up the next generation,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. “In my world, it is hypocrisy what you are doing.”

The two sides remain far apart, particularly on pay. The average pay for a teaching and research assistant at Temple is $19,500 a year, and the union has sought to raise it to more than $32,000, which it said is a necessary cost-of-living adjustment. The university’s offer of 3% raises over the four-year contract gets the average pay to about $22,000 in 2026.

» READ MORE: Graduate students at Temple inch closer to a strike

The union also is seeking health-care coverage for family members; the university currently pays for the students but not dependents. They’re also split on paid parental leave, among other issues.

Mayoral candidate Helen Gym, several state lawmakers, and members of the faculty union also joined the rally Thursday at the Bell Tower in the center of campus.

“What happens here today is going to reverberate across the country,” Gym said. “It’s sending a message to every graduate student who is trying to pay their rent, any young person who wants to have a family while trying to develop their own research.”

It’s unclear how many classes haven’t been held because of the strike.

“Some striking students chose to take down their class sites and inaccurately inform students that classes were canceled, but we planned for that possibility, and corrective steps are being taken to continue those courses, as well,” said spokesperson Steve Orbanek.

He said the university is covering classes several ways, including with faculty members, other graduate students, and other personnel. The university did not have an estimate on how many graduate students are continuing to work.

» READ MORE: Penn awards largest one-time pay increase to doctoral students, while Temple remains in negotiations

“Our top priority is students continuing their education with minimal disruption,” Orbanek said. “As a public institution in Philadelphia with multiple unions, we are no strangers to protest. We support our students’ rights to peacefully protest, but we are also mindful of our obligation as a steward of public funds and student tuition dollars that university resources are being used to fulfill its academic mission to educate students.”

Bethany Kosmicki, a member of the negotiating committee and past president of TUGSA, called the university’s decision to withdraw tuition upsetting but said that it was not a surprise and that the union has been preparing.

“We want Temple to negotiate a fair contract and we hope they will do that,” she said.

While members of the Temple Association of University Professionals, the faculty union, aren’t allowed to picket or strike with the graduate students, members are supporting them, said Jeffrey Doshna, TAUP president. Some faculty have declined to take on additional classes as a show of support for the graduate students, he said.

The university, he said, also has been contacting adjunct professors, offering them short-term, full-time contracts to take on the graduate students’ work. Some of them also have declined, he said.

“Folks are saying no,” he said. “They don’t want to cross the line.”

Meanwhile, the faculty union is preparing to begin its own negotiations with the university on a new contract — its current pact expires in October — and the labor unrest with graduate students doesn’t bode well.

“We’re very concerned,” he said. “The issues the graduate students are fighting for — getting paid fairly, making sure benefits are adequate — are exactly the same issues that are central to our upcoming negotiations.”

Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon, faculty senate president, said the situation is difficult given the 6.4% drop in enrollment at Temple this year, which has strained operations. But at the same time, graduate students and other employees are faced with inflation and trying to make ends meet.

“I hope that this can be resolved amicably as quickly as possible,” she said.