Temple reports progress in negotiations with striking grad students and plans to meet again Wednesday

After a lengthy negotiation session, Temple University on Tuesday evening reported positive progress with its striking graduate student union and said the two sides would meet again Wednesday.

Because of the “good faith effort” shown by the Temple University Graduate Students Association (TUGSA), the university said it would immediately restore health insurance subsidies for striking graduate student workers. The university had taken away the subsidies last month.

“While we left today’s negotiation session without an agreement, we are pleased with the progress,” Ken Kaiser, senior vice president and chief operating officer, said shortly after 7 p.m., following the negotiation session which began at noon. “We hope to share positive news soon.”

Bethany Kosmicki, a member of the TUGSA negotiating team and a past TUGSA president, said the union is happy “that Temple is finally fixing something that never should have happened in the first place.

“Our strength has put an immense amount of pressure on the administration to remedy this because of the high impact it had on our members. We hope this is an indication that Temple will continue to do the right thing, including remedying our tuition benefits, which are still cut, and giving us a fair contract.”

» READ MORE: Temple grad students overwhelmingly vote down proposed contract, strike continues

While restoring health insurance subsidies, Temple hasn’t altered its stance on tuition remission. Striking students must pay their tuition bills by Thursday or face a $100 late fee and the inability to register for more classes.

The union is in its sixth week of the strike, the first in TUGSA’s approximate 20-year history.

The 750-member union overwhelmingly voted down a tentative agreement reached on Feb. 18.

Temple did not detail what offer it put on the table Tuesday. But before Tuesday’s meeting, it was offering a 10% raise retroactive to Feb. 1 and another 5% in August, in addition to a $1,000 one-time payment, small increases in subsequent years, tuition remission, and free health care insurance for the students, but nothing for their dependents. The average pay for teaching and research assistants at Temple who work part time and teach core undergraduate courses and assist professors with research, is $20,700 for nine months, according to the most recent figures from the university.

The union had been seeking a 50% increase in pay, which it said is a necessary cost-of-living adjustment. If granted, base pay would increase to more than $32,000. The union also had been asking the university to pay for health insurance for students’ dependents and increase paid parental leave and other benefits.