January 31 – March 13, 2023 (1 month, 1 week and 6 days)
Location
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Caused by
Disagreements over the terms of a new labor contract
Goals
Annual wage increases of 50 percent in the first year and 6 percent in each of the subsequent three years
Health care coverage for family members and dependents of graduate student employees
Improvements to the grievance procedure
Improved bereavement and parental leave policies
Methods
Picketing
Rally
Strike action
Walkout
Resulted in
Union and university agreed to a new labor contract with provisions that include:
Adjustment of graduate student workers' annual pay to $24,000 for the first year and $1,000 increases in each of the next three years
One-time bonus pay of $500
Health care coverage of up to 25 percent for family members and dependents of graduate student workers
Increased days for bereavement and parental leave
Changes to the university's grievance procedures
Parties
Temple University Graduate Students Association
Temple University
Lead figures
Jason Wingard, president of Temple University
The 2023 Temple University strike was a labor dispute between the Temple University Graduate Students Association (TUGSA), a graduate student employee union that represented roughly 750 graduate student employees at Temple University, and the university administration, led by President Jason Wingard. The strike began on January 31, 2023, and lasted until March 13, when union members voted to ratify a tentative agreement brokered between the negotiators for both parties.
In early 2022, the existing labor contract between the union and university expired without a replacement. 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. The union sought an increase of 50 percent in the first year and 6 percent increases in subsequent years, but the university countered with annual wage increases of no greater than 2 percent. As an agreement was not reached, union members voted to authorize a strike, which began on January 31 of the following year. 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. On February 8, the university announced that they would be rescinding the tuition remission granted to graduate student employees, a move which provoked public criticism of the university and led to the union filing an unfair labor practice charge against the university with the National Labor Relations Board. On March 9, a tentative agreement was reached that was voted into effect by the union on March 13, bringing an immediate end to the strike. 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.
Following the strike, President Wingard resigned from his position, with several publications indicating that his decision was due at least in part to criticism over his handling of the strike. Additionally, several publications noted that the Temple strike and its settlement were viewed positively by student labor activists at other nearby universities. In general, the strike has been viewed as being part of a broader nationwide labor movement amongst graduate student workers in the United States.
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