Temple University’s negotiations with the Temple Association of University Professionals (TAUP), the union that represents full- and part-time faculty members, librarians and academic professionals at 13 of Temple’s 17 schools and colleges, continue to move forward in a productive way, as the parties have met three times this month with an additional meeting scheduled for Monday, Feb. 26. Both parties are now working to schedule March negotiation dates. 

To date, Temple officials and TAUP have reached tentative agreements on many proposals and language for what will be in the new contract, including 

• revisions to the grievance and arbitration processes, 
• the formalization of scheduled time off for librarians, 
• the use of gender-neutral language in the new CBA, and  
• the deletion of dated material in the contract that is no longer relevant. 

There have been no wage proposals made, but both parties worked through several non-economic proposals during the meetings on Feb. 12 and Feb. 20. The university has told the union that it is prepared to make a wage and benefits proposal, but that is dependent on making appropriate progress on the non-economic items that remain on the table.  

“Our hardworking faculty, librarians and academic professionals represented by TAUP have yet to receive a raise this fiscal year as they continue to work under the expired agreement. Our faculty deserve a raise, and that is one of the reasons that we previously offered an extension that included a raise of 5%,” said Sharon Boyle, vice president for human resources. “Merit-based increases can also not be issued under an expired contract, so that is the other reason that we hope to ratify a new contract as these increases provide us with another opportunity to reward our exceptional faculty. It is our hope that we can make great progress this semester, and we are optimistic that we are on our way.” 

“We’re fortunate that we have a history of positive outcomes from negotiating with TAUP, so we’re eager to continue working together to ultimately reach a mutually beneficial agreement,” added Ken Kaiser, Temple’s chief operating officer and senior vice president. “I remain confident that we will reach one. We have one more session set for February with March sessions on the horizon, and we are prepared to continue meeting as frequently as needed to come to an agreement.” 

TAUP’s previous collective bargaining agreement with the university expired on Oct. 15, 2023. The two parties have been negotiating toward a new agreement since Aug. 18, 2023. 

The university’s goal with negotiations remains the need to provide fair conditions and compensation for faculty, librarians and academic professionals, while also honoring a commitment to keep a Temple education affordable for students. 

Visit temple.edu/taup-negotiations to view updates regarding the negotiation process.