Month: May 2019

Admin Cancels Sessions, TAUP Ready to Bargain, Rally on July 9th

JOIN US to rally for a fair contract outside of the Board of Trustees meeting on July 9th

Yesterday, the administration cancelled a negotiation session scheduled for today and another one tentatively scheduled for tomorrow.

This is disappointing.  Both sides have signed an agreement committing them to working toward an early settlement. June 30th–a month from today–is the deadline, though a brief extension is possible if both parties agree.  TAUP is ready to move negotiations forward, and we are waiting for the administration to join us at the table.

Our most recent update makes it clear:  We are at a crucial time in negotiations with the university.  Here is a summary of what both sides have put on the table and how they have responded to each other’s proposals.

On May 21st, the administration put aggressive austerity proposals on wages and health care on the table and continued to dismiss or not respond at all to many of the reasonable proposals that have been put forth for respect, equity, and job security for members of the TAUP bargaining unit.

We are fighting for a contract that reflects values supporting the educational mission of the university, not a false austerity. The administration has made it clear: this will not be an easy fight. We can make progress only by showing that these issues matter to us. We must be unified and show the administration that we deserve a fair contract. 

The TAUP Table Team, leadership and activists need your support.  Since today’s Bargaining session was cancelled, we are running a contract and organizing training the Union office at 2pm.  RSVP here for that event, for the July 9th Rally, and to commit to attending  future Open Bargaining  sessions.

Open Bargaining is a powerful process, giving members a chance to witness what really happens at the negotiating table. Members can share their views with the negotiating team when we break to caucus.

HOLD THE DATE for a rally outside of the Board of Trustees meeting on July 9th.  The Trustees decide on Temple’s priorities and how resources are allocated, and they need to hear about the priorities of  the faculty, librarians, and academic professionals who make Temple possible.

RSVP here, and share this with your colleagues!  

Negotiations Update:  Now We Know

At Tuesday’s negotiation session, TAUP arrived hoping to make progress toward early settlement.  We have worked in good faith for months with the administration on a framework to make it work. All of our proposals on the table, but the administration has responded to few.

The administration signed the agreement for the early settlement framework Mondahy. Unfortunately, the proposals they put on the table later in the session make that possibility far less likely.  They presented several aggressive proposals and rejected others important to TAUP members and key to our vision for education at Temple.

Members respond to the University’s proposals: THUMBS DOWN!

In response to our reasonable proposal for across-the-board increases for all our members and merit raises for full-time members, they painted a dark picture of Temple’s current fiscal uncertainties and proposed the following based on that:

  • NO across-the-board increase for full time members (academic professionals, faculty and librarians)
  • Merit increases only, contingent on what the administration decides to give to non-union employees (which could be 0%)    
  • NO proposal for adjunct raises, though there was a weak indication that one may be coming

On health care, they proposed:

  • Increases in the premium share for full-time members:  2% for individuals, 3% for members with one dependent (a new “+1” category) and 4% for families  
  • A deductible of $250/yr for individuals and $500/yr for +1 and families for lab tests, x-rays, imaging and outpatient surgery

We pointed out that their health care costs declined last year thanks to the changes in plan design we had previously agreed to.

The administration did say that these were initial proposals, and that their wage proposal may change as the fiscal picture for next year comes into clearer focus.  TAUP believes that these proposals need to be significantly revised in order for us to reach an agreement.

Temple’s financial statements clearly show that they have the resources to respond more sensibly to our wage proposals, even with a small projected decline in enrollment and flat state funding, and to not jack up our health care costs so severely.  

There were additional disappointing responses from proposals discussed in the 5/16 and 5/21 sessions:

  • On 5/16 in response to our proposal to increase tenure-track hiring by 1% a year, they said “we would never agree” to a target number in the contract. They also expressed uncertainty that there was a problem that needed to be addressed.  
  • In response to our job security proposal for adjuncts, they offered a proposal for an evaluation process has NO connection to promotion or job security. We have responded to their proposal, addressing concerns about workload in assessing adjunct faculty, maintaining job security and promotion.
  • They have not responded to our proposal on NTT job security but say they will do so.
  • We put forth a proposal for maternity leave, which adds 4 weeks’ paid leave for all full-time members and guarantees maternity leave for librarians and academic professionals who must currently rely on an unpredictable pool of sick leave and vacation days. The administration expressed no interest in changing the current system.
  • The administration proposed the elimination of our members’ right to grieve discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, and national origin, saying that other processes outside of the contract, overseen by the administration, are better suited to address these issues.

For a comprehensive list of issues on the table, click here

The university’s positions are alarming and raise questions about the university’s priorities and the value placed on the work of educators, librarians and academic professionals. It has become clear that the university needs to see demonstrations of support among members for the union’s positions.

We are scheduling a rally at the Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, July 9th, and have negotiation sessions scheduled for May 30th and 31st.

We urge you to support this work by RSVPing here for one or all of these dates.

 

#AFTvotes Town Hall with Senator Elizabeth Warren, 5/13

May 24, 2019

Yesterday, 15 TAUP members attended a town hall with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, candidate for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. Prior to the meeting, Steve Newman and Jennie Shanker, TAUP’s president and vice president, were able to meet with her briefly. She thanked TAUP for its work, and we thanked her for her strong support for labor unions and education, including her plans for free college and releasing students from the crushing burden of student debt.

Prior to the meeting, Steve Newman and Jennie Shanker, TAUP’s president and vice president, were able to meet with her briefly.

AFT President Randi Weingarten introduces TAUP President Steve Newman and Vice President Jennie Shanker to Senator Elizabeth Warren

During the town hall, she talked about how she would pay for her proposals and her commitment to appointing a public school teacher as Secretary of Education, a welcome change from Betty DeVos, the current head of the Department of Education. During the Q and A, Olena Mishchuk, a TAUP member and an adjunct in biology, asked Sen. Warren questions about her approach the Supreme Court as well as U.S. policy toward Ukraine.

This town hall was the fifth that AFT has held with those seeking the Democratic nomination for President, and it is part of of #AFTvotes 2020.You can view other town halls on the AFT Facebook page (@AFTunion), and for more information on our national union’s approach to the upcoming Presidential election, visit the website.