Frequently Asked Questions

Am I eligible for coverage under the TUGSA contract?

Isn't my award letter my contract?

Where do my dues go?

Why is TUGSA affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)?

What is the Declaration of Academic Benefit form?

I'm an international student. How does a graduate employee union affect me?

Am I eligible for coverage under the TUGSA contract?

According to the bargaining unit definition, if you are hired as a teaching assistant or a research assistant (who does not declare academic benefit), then you are considered a part of the TUGSA bargaining unit. As a TUGSA bargaining unit member, the terms and conditions of your employment are set forth in the TUGSA contract. You are also afforded all the rights and privileges given to public employees protected under a collective bargaining agreement in the state of PA.

Within 30 days of each semester, the University must send TUGSA a bargaining unit list. In order to find out or verify that you are on this list, call the TUGSA office at 215-235-0512.

Being covered under the TUGSA collective bargaining agreement does not automatically mean that you are a TUGSA member. In order to be a TUGSA member, you must fill out a TUGSA membership and dues authorization form.

Isn't my award letter my contract?

Your award letter is essentially an employment offer. The TUGSA contract covers what rights you have after you become an employee.

Where do my dues go?

Union dues are primarily used to rent office space and to pay for TUGSA's membership in larger unions, such as the AFT and PFT. Dues also pay for web hosting, newsletters, and other promotional materials. No dues go to pay for the work done daily by TUGSA officers and activists. (More details on TUGSA's expenses can be found here.)

TUGSA union dues are set by TUGSA members. The current dues are currently set at 1.65%. Dues are deducted monthly and generally range from $27-30 per month, depending on your wages.

Consistent with the Constitution of the AFT, local unions establish dues structures that ensure that the majority of dues income stays with the local so that it can maintain its financial autonomy. When you consider the benefits of unionization with regard to income, health insurance, workload, and fairness, union dues don't cost -- they pay.

Why is TUGSA affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT)?

The American Federation of Teachers is the largest union of graduate employees and higher education faculty in the United States. The AFT assists TUGSA with legal advice and funding, as well as helping with organizing, negotiating, research, professional development, and lobbying. The state affiliate of the AFT, the Pennsylvania Federation of Teachers (PFT), has provided critical support of our organizing efforts and has helped us to thwart Temple administration's efforts to deny us our rights to organize and bargain.

What is the Declaration of Academic Benefit form?

The University requires all newly appointed research assistants to complete the “Declaration of Academic Benefit” form in order to determine whether or not they intend to receive academic benefit as a result of their appointment. RAs who do intend to receive academic benefit from their research assistantships are ineligible to be part of the TUGSA bargaining unit and will not be covered under the terms of the TUGSA contract.

RAs should signify that they will receive academic benefit if either one of the following apply: 1) their research appointment fulfills an academic requirement; 2) the data collected in their research will be directly used for a Master's thesis or dissertation; 3) the data collected in their research will be used to fulfill the requirements of an academic course. If none of these apply, RAs should signify that they will not receive academic benefit from their assistantship and therefore will be covered under the TUGSA contract.

I'm an international student. How does a graduate employee union affect me?

F-1 student visas allow international students to work at a university whether or not it is unionized. International students enjoy the same protections and rights as all other students. U.S. law protects the rights of all employees to vote for and join a union and those rights apply just as much to international students as anyone else. It is against the law for either the university or the INS to discriminate against international students because of membership or participation in a union.