2023 Temple University strike
While the two parties disagreed on several issues, including bereavement and parental leave and the grievance policy, the main point of contention regarded wage increases.
Over the course of the strike, TUGSA members held multiple rallies and demonstrations across Temple's campus and attracted support from both local and national politicians.
Terms of the contract were generally considered a compromise between the two side's initial proposals and saw first-year pay increases of between 30 and 40 percent for workers, amongst other changes regarding policies such as grievance procedures and time off.
[10] On November 11, 2022, a majority of TUGSA members participated in a vote and, with 99 percent in favor, authorized the union's negotiating committee to call for a strike action if they felt it was necessary.
[4] This move towards a possible strike action was part of a larger wave of labor disputes and organizing efforts at universities that had been occurring since 2021,[12][13][4] with labor historian Heather Ann Thompson saying that the upsurge in unionization efforts, despite a broader long-term decline in unionization in the United States, coincided with an increased reliance from universities on the work of TAs and adjunct professors.
[8] Pennsylvania State Senator Sharif Street was a speaker at the rally, where he voiced his support for the strike and led the protestors in a chant demanding higher pay.
[4] At the time, the university's counterproposal to the union included 3 percent annual wage increases that would raise the average pay to $22,000 by 2026,[4] in addition to one-time payments of up to $500.
[10] On that same day, strikers were notified by the university that if they did not tell the chairperson of their academic department that they would return to work then they would lose their income, their benefits, and their free tuition.
[19][20] On February 8,[1] Temple's bursar's office sent a notice to striking graduate student workers that said they must pay the full cost of their tuition by March 9 or they would have a $100 late fee applied to their account, which would prohibit them from registering for any more classes.
[7] The decision drew criticism from many parties,[22] with William Herbert, executive director of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education, saying, "A threat of a retaliatory measure in response to a strike has occurred before, but it is frequently counterproductive.
[13] On February 9, the Philadelphia City Council passed a resolution introduced by Councilmember Isaiah Thomas expressing support for TUGSA and urging the university to come to an agreement with the union.
[23] At the time, several national politicians had similarly expressed support for the union, including United States Senators Bob Casey Jr., John Fetterman, and Bernie Sanders.
[24] That same day, strikers held a rally on campus that involved several members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, including Danilo Burgos and Malcolm Kenyatta.
[26] On that day, about 1,000 people,[27] mainly students and faculty members, participated in the walkout and subsequent rally,[28] which was co-organized by TUGSA and the Philadelphia branch of Socialist Alternative and resulted in traffic long part of Broad Street being shut down.
[30][31] According to reporting from The Temple News, the agreement would see the university reinstate the strikers' health benefits, tuition remission, and single-person healthcare coverage.
[33] In exchange, the union would rescind unfair labor practice charges they had raised against the university and would drop their demands for health care coverage for families and dependents.
[47] On March 6, TUGSA members traveled to Pennsylvania's state capital of Harrisburg in order to talk to politicians in an effort to foster more public support for the strike.
[47] While specifics of the deal were not initially made available,[53] the university stated in a release that the four-year proposal would see minimum annual salaries for the graduate student workers increase to $24,000 and would eliminate different pay tiers that existed wherein employees in certain colleges or schools were paid different rates than others.
[54] Additionally, the contract included increases in parental and bereavement leave, allowances for international travel for some students, a partial health care subsidy for dependents, and a one-time payment of $500 for union members.
[55] Several days after the conclusion of the strike, on March 21, TAUP stated that they would be holding no-confidence votes against several Temple administrators, including President Wingard.
[62] Reporting on the decision, journalist Susan Snyder of The Philadelphia Inquirer stated that "the administration’s handling of the graduate student negotiations may have been the impetus for considering a vote".
[62] Reports from Philadelphia magazine and The New York Times similarly stated that the strike had negatively affected Wingard's perception among the university's faculty,[63] with the latter saying that it had "hobbled" his presidency.
