TUGSA, Temple reach tentative agreement, union says
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The union representing Temple graduate student workers (TUGSA) reached a tentative agreement with the university Thursday night.
The union tweeted that the tentative agreement "reflects the incredible work of striking members over the past six weeks." The graduate students have been on strike since Jan. 31.
Now, members of the union will vote on whether or not to ratify the tentative agreement.
The union tweeted that specific details will be released in the future.
They said they won a significant initial bump in wages and raises in the following years over the life of the contract. They also said they eliminated the unequal pay-tier system, which means all TAs and RAs would receive the same pay regardless of their academic discipline.
The union is also fighting for better healthcare and working conditions. They made strides in the tentative agreement, according to the union.
The union tweeted they won a partial subsidy for dependent healthcare, which would be a first in TUGSA's 20-year history. They said this "win is an important step towards Temple recognizing the needs of workers with families."
They added new language in the tentative agreement makes the union "stronger in its ability to organize and defend its members from overwork, discrimination, and harassment."
This marks the second time TUGSA and the university reached a tentative agreement.
The union rejected a previous tentative agreement with the university in February.
Over 92% of votes rejected that agreement, with 83% voter turnout.
