As we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., TAUP wishes all of you a meaningful day, fired by the passion and genius for justice that marked the life of Dr. King and all who worked by his side.

Dr. King was assassinated while in Memphis, supporting the sanitation workers, who were members of AFSCME Local 1733.  Dr. King’s life and death remind us that struggles for justice intersect and remind us how urgent those struggles remain.

As we continue to prepare for negotiations, Dr. King is on our minds.  Article 3 of the TAUP contract, which bars discrimination in our union and at Temple, and Article 4, which affirms Affirmative Action, are on our minds on this day, as are your responses to these issues that we received in the bargaining survey.  TAUP will continue to honor Dr. King’s legacy by fighting for justice however and wherever we can, for our members and the wider campus community.

 

Negotiations Update:  Working Teams and Open Bargaining

Four teams have been assembled: the Table team, Research and Data team, Contract Campaign team, and Organizing team, in preparation for negotiations this semester. If you are interested in helping in this effort, we would be happy to have you aboard.  Just contact the TAUP office.

As we mentioned in our last e-bulletin, we are committed to open negotiations on campus in order to make the process more transparent.  We will be meeting this week with the administration to discuss their concerns about this approach. In open bargaining, members of the bargaining unit can attend negotiation sessions. There are ground rules for those who are visiting to ensure productive discussions. The Table Team benefits by having bargaining unit members in the room, who can be consulted during breaks.

Temple has engaged in open negotiations in the past, though not with TAUP.  The nurse’s union, PASNAP, is currently at the table with Temple in open bargaining; the administration should agree to the same process with TAUP. We feel that the transparency and the expertise that will be available to us through open negotiations will lead to a stronger contract for everyone in our union. We’ll keep you updated as we meet with the administration to discuss this further.

 

The L. A. Teachers’ Strike

Last week, the 32,000 members of the United Teachers of Los Angeles went out on strike for better wages, smaller class sizes, more school nurses and counselors, and an emphasis on community schools rather than charters.  TAUP stands in solidarity with them, and if you are interested in helping these teachers and their allies fight for the future of public education, here are two things you can do: 1) Contribute to the strike fund. 2) Support the strike on social media.

 

Long-Term Care Insurance  

We have been sending out email reminders about a new benefit we are offering to our members, Long-Term Care Insurance.  We are running workshops next week and open enrollment starts January 25th. If you are interested, call 215.901.7905 or Click Here.