Temple faculty and administration reach tentative agreement

Temple faculty has reached a tentative, five-year agreement with administration that includes a $10,000 raise for full-time union employees.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, this comes to about a 10% raise for at least half of the members of Temple Association of University Professionals (TUAP), said TAUP president Jeffrey Doshna.

TAUP says that through May 2028, more than 2,300 faculty, librarians, and academic professionals will receive 3% raises.

The pay for adjuncts who teach about 40% of undergrad courses will also receive an increase, the union officials said.

This tentative agreement has been followed by over a year of bargaining that included 33 sessions. This process could be completed by the middle of October, Doshna said.

“We obviously did not get everything we asked for, but we are confident we have been able to make gains on a number of important issues that our members have raised with us,” said Doshna.

Throughout this contract, a tenured professor on average will receive about an 18% increase, while professors who are nontenured will get about a 23% average increase, said Doshna.

In March 2023, graduate student workers at Temple went on strike for six weeks. This contract will overall benefit professors and students, because students will no longer have to worry about the strike disruptions.

“We’re glad to reach an agreement that is generous and works for everybody,” said Ken Kaiser, Temple’s Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “It brings certainty for students and for faculty and for the board and the administration. This is one item we don’t have to worry about for four more years.”

The Inquirer states the tentative agreement also includes expanded leave for bereavement, improved protections for academic freedom, and the addition of lactation spaces on campus for working parents, according to the union.

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