Tag: student debt

Why Higher Ed Workers Should Support the HEROES Act

On July 20th, critical business awaits members of the US Senate as they return from a two-week summer recess: the passing of the HEROES Act.  The US House of Representatives passed the $3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act on May 15th, and it’s now up to the Senate to decide whether this federal aid will be there to provide relief to state, local, territorial and tribal governments as well as businesses and citizens who have been negatively affected as a consequence of COVID-19.

If the Senate fails to act, essential services will be gutted and hundreds of thousands of educators, healthcare workers and public employees such as firefighters, police, transportation and EMS personnel, teachers and other vital workers who keep us safe will be laid off. The HEROES Act offers comprehensive funding to maintain these jobs. 

Review this summary to see the range of support extended by the Act.  Provisions specifically for Higher Ed have been summarized here, and benefits to Pennsylvania can be found here. 

Join representatives from TAUP and other AFT unions at noon on Wednesday, July 8th,  to deliver a failing report card to Sen. Pat Toomey for his failure to support the HEROES Act.  Social distancing and mask wearing will be observed, and a limited number of people will be attending from each local. If you’d like to be among those attending from TAUP, please RSVP.

What does the HEROES Act Include?

Among the comprehensive and essential funding within the Act, there is:

  • Broad relief for college students.

  • New stimulus checks which will include adult dependents (such as our students) and immigrants.

  • Expanded student loan relief which will include economically distressed borrowers who have either federal or private student loans.  It will also include many who were excluded in the CARES Act because they were not eligible for federal student aid.  This penalized students based on their citizenship status, the currency of their  loan payments and their academic standing.

  • Suspension of payments and interest on student loans in addition to up to $10,000 in student loan forgiveness.

  • Protection for students who are behind in their payments from wage garnishment and other forms of compulsory repayment.

  • Extensive healthcare measures, including the elimination of certain out-of-pocket expenses for COVID-19 treatment and vaccines, and there will be $100 billion in reimbursements to hospitals and eligible healthcare providers for certain expenses and lost revenue to prevent, prepare for and respond to COVID-19.

  • An extension for those eligible for COBRA to maintain their employer-sponsored coverage without paying premiums through January 2021.

  • Expanded federal, state and local COVID-19 testing and tracing.

  • Requirements from OSHA to  establish temporary emergency standards for employers to protect any worker at “occupational risk of exposure” to COVID-19, and the Department of Labor will need to create permanent standards to protect workers from infectious pathogens within two years.

  • A prohibition on t employers from retaliating against employees who report publicizing health and safety hazards.

  • Funding for hazard pay..

  • An extension of COVID-19 Unemployment Compensation: the $600/week FPUC, the PUA program for gig workers, independent contractors and business owners, and the PPP program for small businesses.

  • An extension of housing and food assistance.

Republican leaders in the Senate have stated that they will not vote on the HEROES Act in its current form and would prefer to wait to see if previous stimulus packages improve the economy, and the White House has stated that it would veto the Act.

It is up to us to push our representatives to pass this critical legislation. 

Tell your senator to pass the #HEROESAct at http://go.aft.org/HEROESActLetter.  And let us know if you’d like to attend the report card delivery to Sen. Toomey in Old City!

TAUP Digest 3/11-3/15, Negotiations Update, Contract Campaign Kick-Off, Student Debt Clinic, Trainings, the Struggle at Community College

Negotiations Update 

We hope that you had a restful and productive Spring Break.  TAUP members were hard at work last week preparing for the upcoming negotiations.  We have been responding to administrative concerns about Open Bargaining while continuing to adhere to its fundamental principles of inclusion and transparency in the negotiation process for our members.  As we move toward agreeing on procedure, we are continuing to sift through data and develop bargaining proposals.  You can find out more about the state of negotiations and how you can get involved at the . . .

 

. . .TAUP Contract Campaign Kickoff Event 3/13!

With labor & political allies, food & drink, and TAUP swag 

This will be the first full contract that will cover all of the faculty, alongside our librarians and academic professionals. Join us to build connection,strength and solidarity across campus as we launch our campaign for a strong contract that fully supports the fundamental educational mission of Temple University: teaching, research & learning..

Wednesday March 13th

4-6pm

Pub Webb – 1527 Cecil B Moore Ave

All dues paying TAUP Members are encouraged to attend, alongside any Temple Faculty, Librarians, and TAUP Academics Staff who are considering joining.

Be sure to RSVP here.

Organizing Conversation Trainings

Organizing does not stop during negotiations; it’s essential to our strength at the table.  If you want to learn how to talk with your colleagues about the Union, we’ll be holding Organizing Conversation trainings on Friday March 15th from 12-2pm and Friday March 22nd from 12-2pm at the TAUP office, Ritter Annex 721. Please RSVP here.

The Struggle at Community College of Philadelphia

Our sister union at CCP has been working without a contract for three years. They recently authorized a strike vote, though they hope that a strike will not be necessary.  They are fighting administrative proposals that would increase their workload, gut faculty governance, raise health-care costs, and refuse to pay their classified staff a living wage.

TAUP stands in solidarity with FSFCCP in this fight, and we invite you to join us in supporting them.  Their next event is a hearing at City Councilthis Tuesday from 11:00-2:00 p.m.  They will be advocating for the nearly $16 million in additional funding that CCP should be getting from the City. This is based on the accepted formula that municipalities should fund 1/3rd of a community college’s operating budget.

Know Your Contract:  Grievances

If you believe that your rights under the contract have been violated, contact TAUP.  Our staff will put you in touch with our grievance specialists, who can help determine whether a grievance should be filed.  Remember that grievances have to be filed within 20 working days from the action being grieved for full-time members and 10 working days for adjuncts.  If you have a concern about something you’re experiencing on the job, please don’t delay in contacting your Union!

Student Debt Clinic

TAUP remains committed to helping our members, many of whom are saddled with significant student loans, alongside Temple students and alumni. Student debt–now at $1.5 trillion– has a long-term negative effect on borrowers and on the economy as a whole, discouraging individuals from making substantial purchases and starting businesses.

For our students, it increases their stress while in school, forcing them to make decisions about what classes to take, what major to pursue, what apartment to rent and what food to buy. Too many students are pressured to drop out of school, or never to attend in the first place. It has had a significant influence on universities–including Temple–as a place to study and as a place to work.

We are partnering with our citywide AFT local, the United Academics of Philadelphia, in offering a free Student Debt Clinic. The clinic is open to everyone in our bargaining unit.

 March 21st from 7-9 p.m

United Academics of Philadelphia

601 N 12th St, Philadelphia, PA 19123

 

Please be sure to RSVP here.

TAUP Digest: Negotiations, Happy Hour, Adjunct Dues Deductions, Student Debt Clinics, Dept. Organizers, General Membership Meeting

Negotiations Update

Last Tuesday, we had a productive meeting with the administration on open bargaining and finding a location for negotiations; discussions are ongoing.  Our Research and Data Team and Table Team are hard at work, and our Contract Campaign Team will be getting into gear soon. If you want to join your colleagues in this important work, please contact TAUP.

Adjunct Dues Deduction

We have been informed by the administration that dues deduction for adjuncts for this term will not begin until our March paychecks.  Dues will be deducted for the semester in 2 or 3 equal amounts. Please let us know if you have any questions.


Tenured/Tenure Track Faculty Happy Hour

Each of our constituency councils is holding happy hours this semester! Whether you are a TAUP member or not, if you are part of the tenured or tenure-track faculty, please join your TT Constituency Council for a happy hour (or two) at the Draught Horse on Wednesday, February 13th from 5-8pm. The first drink is on us,  so please RSVP here!

Register for a Student Debt Clinic

On the weekend before classes started, TAUP offered a training for individuals to learn how to run student debt clinics. Eleven people completed the training, and we’re eager to start running clinics.

Many of the faculty, librarians and academic professionals TAUP represents carry student debt. If you’ve got debt and would like to know more about the potential options for loan repayment and loan forgiveness, it may benefit you to attend one of our 90- minute clinics. Please sign up on our contact form here, and let us know your general availability so we can identify the best time to schedule. By being on our contact list, you’ll be in the loop when we run clinics.

 

Department Organizer Structure

Successful organizing and mobilization are never one-person enterprises. In order to keep everyone  TAUP represents informed and engaged, our union needs help from a network of active members who answer questions and provide information for members: the Department Organizers. Department Organizers (DOs) don’t just sign petitions and attend rallies–they enlist and motivate their colleagues to do the same. TAUP represents more than 2,400 faculty, librarians and academic professionals, and it’s the DO’s job to keep a network of 10 colleagues connected to their union. That way, whether it’s bargaining for a contract, showing solidarity with fellow unions, or celebrating victories, TAUP members can respond quickly and effectively.

Being a DO is a volunteer, non-elected position, and an opportunity for any member who is drawn to union work. If you are interested in becoming a DO, we offer monthly trainings  and will support you in this important role in TAUP! If you are interested, please contact the TAUP office.

Department Organizer Trainings:

Monday February 4th 11-12:30pm

Tuesday February 19th 4-6pm

 

General Membership Meeting

We will be meeting on February 15th from 2-4 p.m. in the large meeting space in the basement of Paley Library to give you an update on negotiations and listen to your questions and feedback.   RSVP to the TAUP Office.