Email Update

March 18, 2006

Administration Proposes Health Care Cut

The administration still has not offered a set of economic proposals, essentially stalling negotiations again. The administration's only health insurance proposal asks for a cutback; TAs and RAs would have to pay for all future premium increases! Under the last contract, which expired Feb. 15, the administration had to pay 100% of the single premium for 9 months of Keystone and 12 months of CompSelect, regardless of premium increases. As TAs and RAs, we cannot afford to pay more out of pocket for health care. Furthermore, we do not get year-round coverage, like graduate employees at similar large, public universities.

Don't let the administration take back gains TAs and RAs fought for five years to win! Come to an important activists' meeting on Thursday, March 23 from 6:00 to 7:30 PM in the TUGSA office, located at 1510 Cecil B. Moore Ave., Suite 304, to find out how you can help us get the contract we want. Please come to the meeting anyway, even if you can't make it over until 7:00 PM. Our union needs your support now more than ever.

The TUGSA contract negotiations team has been very concerned about the slow pace of negotiations and the administration's economic proposals. So, our union has decided to turn up the heat on the administration! We have had two very successful actions, only the first of many, if necessary.

Board of Trustees Meeting Action Shakes Up Adamany

TUGSA members held a lively, effective demonstration at the Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday, March 14. Our member activists sang labor songs and chanted outside of the meeting and educated trustees about our expired contract and proposals as they entered and left the meeting. TUGSA members also asked them to make sure we get a fair contract now. Several trustees and faculty members stopped to offer words of support. Temple President David Adamany opted to try to avoid our activists by slipping out the side door of Sullivan Hall well after all of the trustees had exited the building, but he must not have realized that we had a bullhorn.

TUGSA Stood Up for Working Families on Valentine's Day

TUGSA's "We'd Love Quality Health Care" rally on February 14 attended by 150 TUGSA members, undergraduate students, other union members, and community allies caused the administration to be much more open to discussing proposals and counterproposals. The TUGSA/Temple contract expired the next day on February 15. TUGSA is striving to win important improvements to TA/RA health benefits which would recognize that graduate employees are adults with family responsibilities: a subsidy to provide health coverage for dependents, domestic partners, and spouses; more dental options; a subsidy for child care; year-round health coverage; paid family leave; and dialogue about reopening the campus day care center that was closed in 1995.

TUGSA has won health care benefits in the past that have improved the quality of health care for all employees at Temple. TUGSA was the first union to win the historic option of enrolling a same-sex or opposite sex domestic partner on an employee's health plan. This opened the door for other unions to enjoy such a benefit. Last year, President Adamany gave this benefit to all Temple employees.