Negotiations Update
We have sent a proposal to the administration on the process for discussing the various issues before us and hope to set dates soon. The Table Team is hard at work developing proposals, and we look forward to discussing them with you and the administration. As soon as we have details, we will share them, including the dates, place, and topics for negotiation sessions.
TAUP Contract Campaign Kickoff Event 3/13: Solidarity and Success!
On Wednesday, a lively crowd gathered at Pub Webb to kickoff our contract campaign. “Our Temple,” is the overarching theme, expressing solidarity across our ranks for a Temple University that fully values its faculty, librarians, academic professionals, and the wider community.
With Marsha Weinraub (CLA) acting as emcee, we were galvanized by speakers from Arcadia, CCP, TUGSA, and our own members (Leanne Finnigan from Paley Library and Mary Stricker from CLA) as well as a powerful message from Rep. Chris Rabb (PA-200), a former Temple adjunct, and a rousing speech from Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, from Temple’s district.
Members’ Corner: Leanne Finnigan on Parental Leave
Read Leanne Finnigan’s thoughts on parental leave, presented at the contract kickoff event last week.
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 an Organizing Conversation training on Friday March 22nd from 12-2pm at the TAUP office, Ritter Annex 721. RSVP here.
Community College of Philadelphia Informational Picket, March 20th
Our sister union at CCP, the Faculty and Staff Federation of Community College of Philadelphia (FSFCCP), 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. Steve Newman, President of TAUP, testified on the Union’s behalf at City Council on the 12th, and TAUP urges its members to attend an Informational Picket and March Through Campus at CCP this Wednesday, 12:30-1:30.
TAUP Elections
If you are interested in being nominated or nominating yourself to run for President, Vice President, or Treasurer of TAUP or to serve on one of our faculty Constituency Councils, please see here. Note that Self-Nomination Petitions must be received by the Nominating Committee, TAUP Office, 1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Ritter Annex 721 (004-15), Philadelphia, PA 19122-6091, by Friday March 29, 2019.
Are You Full-Time and Leaving Temple for Another Job? Important Considerations
Every year some of our members leave Temple for jobs elsewhere, and they are often unaware that if they are on a 9-month contract but are paid through the Summer that their “July and August payments are paid in anticipation of [their] return to service in September.
Accordingly, faculty who received payments in July and August payrolls but who leave Temple University for any reason prior to the beginning of the Fall semester must reimburse the University for the July and August payments” (from the website of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs).
Please note also the University’s policy in the Faculty Handbook that “A faculty member may terminate his or her appointment effective at the end of an academic year provided that the faculty member gives notice in writing at the earliest possible opportunity, but not later than May 15 or 30 days after receiving notification of the terms of his or her appointment for the coming year, whichever date occurs later” If you have questions or concerns, please contact TAUP. Faculty Pay Schedule
Student Debt Clinic
TAUP remains committed to helping our members, many of whom are saddled with significant student loans, alongside Temple students and alumni.
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 RSVP here.
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.