Temple University Cuts Tuition and Health Benefits for Striking Graduate Students
- 'Temple University is withholding tuition and health care benefits for more than 100 working graduate students who are on strike for better pay.' NPR, Feb. 10, 2023.
Some research and teaching assistants at the public school in Philadelphia received an email notice on Wednesday that their tuition remission had been revoked for the spring semester, "as a result of your participation in the [Temple University Graduate Students' Association union] strike." Tuition remission, a benefit offered by many schools to help finance employees' tuition costs, covers an average of $20,000 at Temple, according to the university.
Temple is now requiring the graduate students to pay their tuition balance by March 9 to stay enrolled in classes, or else accrue a $100 late fee.
Employers threatening to cut off benefits is not uncommon, but actually doing it is," said Bethany Kosmicki, a member of the negotiating committee and a former president of TUGSA. "I was very, very disappointed to see that Temple is continuing these union-busting tactics rather than sitting down and negotiating for a contract with us." Graduate students took to the picket lines on Jan. 31, after over a year of stalled negotiations between Temple and the graduate student union. The union is accusing the school of paying wages that fail to cover Philadelphia's cost of living. TUGSA has not responded to NPR's emails and direct messages.
Temple said in a statement on Thursday that students were warned that taking part in the strike and not showing up to work would cause them to lose their full compensation package, which includes tuition assistance and free health care insurance. Under Pennsylvania law, the workers who refuse to work are not entitled to compensation and work-related benefits, the university said.
Temple said that about 20% of union-affiliated graduate students have lost their benefits after going on strike, with the majority remaining on the job...https://www.npr.org/2023/02/10/1155762537/temple-university-grad-strike