Join Grad Students as We Rally for a Fair Contract at the Bell Tower, Weds. 3/14 @ noon!

No matter what department you do your teaching and research in, you no doubt recognize the contribution that graduate teaching and research assistants make to this university. Graduate assistants teach the majority of undergrad gened courses and lead labs, hold recitation, crunch data, write reports, hold office hours, proctor exams, and grade a multitude of essays, assignments, and exams. What you might not know is that Temple’s graduate teaching and research assistants do all of this vital work for around $15,000-$18,000 a year – roughly $1300 a month during the school year. In a rapidly-gentrifying city like Philadelphia, rents are going up and grad students often have to choose between having multiple roommates in far-flung neighborhoods or taking out loans so that they can live closer to campus or have fewer roommates.

Fortunately, the graduate teaching and research assistants at Temple have a union – TUGSA (Temple University Graduate Student Association). TUGSA has been negotiating with Temple administration since this past Fall and we are down to the wire on economics – raises, pay equity among departments, and preserving healthcare. TUGSA has been pushing for modest raises to be enacted over the life of the contract that begin to keep pace with inflation and the local cost of living.

On Wednesday, March 14th at 12pm TUGSA will be holding a Rally for a Fair Contract at the Bell Tower. As professors, leaders in your fields, and fellow union members, TUGSA is asking for your support by attending the rally and – even more importantly – showing your solidarity with graduate employees by wearing “I <3 my TA” pins and stickers on Wednesday. Please contact staff@tugsa.org if you would like pins and/or stickers delivered to your office on Wednesday morning, and if you are active on social media, please post pictures and share ours using the hashtags: #I<3myTA, #WeAreTUGSA, #DoBetterTemple.