Graduate students teach core undergraduate courses and assist professors with research. The union is calling the strike 'indefinite.'
After more than a year of unsuccessful negotiations, the union representing 750 graduate student teaching and research assistants at Temple University went on strike Tuesday, for the first time in the union’s history.
At Temple, the two sides remain far apart, particularly on pay. The average pay for a teaching and research assistant at Temple is $19,500 a year, and the union has sought to raise it to over $32,000, which it said is a necessary cost-of-living adjustment. The university’s offer of 3% raises over the four-year contract gets the average pay to about $22,000 in 2026, Kosmicki said.
The university also has said students receive free tuition, which is worth about $20,000 annually. Kosmicki, however, contended that graduate students who are more advanced in their studies and working on their dissertation would not have nearly as high a tuition. The University of Pennsylvania in December awarded a nearly 25% increase in its minimum pay for doctoral students — the largest one-time boost in the school’s history. Starting in 2023-24, the minimum stipend will rise from $30,547 to $38,000.
In addition to pay, the sides are split on health insurance. Members get their own coverage for free but must pay for dependents. The union wants to see that change. Kosmicki said a family plan can cost more than 80% of a graduate student’s salary. She said that’s particularly hard for international students who are required to have health care coverage for themselves and family to stay in the country.
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