On Wednesday, Temple University Research and Teaching Assistants participating in the ongoing wage strike were informed that they would no longer be eligible for financial aid.
Graduate students at Temple have been striking since January 31st over low wages. According to Temple University Graduate Students’ Association (TUGSA), undergrad employees of the college are paid just 19,000 annually, which TUGSA argues is not enough to cover the rising cost of living in the city
According to an interview Manasa Gopakumar, a PhD candidate in philosophy at Temple and TUGSA, gave to Insider, student workers often struggle to make ends meet on the university’s salary while working unpaid overtime to teach their classes. “Temple’s off of a 3% raise to our base salary is just not enough for us to make a living in Philadelphia,” she said.
In negotiations with TUGSA, Temple offered to raise TA and RA salaries to $22,500 by 2026. TUGSA did not accept these conditions, and continued striking. In response, Temple University removed all financial aid for any grad students participating in the strike.
In a statement given to Insider, Temple Director of Communications Stephen Orbanek stated “TUGSA members who have chosen not to work and are on strike are no longer entitled to their compensation and work-related benefits, which include tuition remission. Because striking workers are not entitled to tuition remission, they have been notified of their obligation to make arrangements to pay their tuition, consistent with how the university treats other students who have unpaid tuition obligations.”
Strike participants have until March 9 to pay their full Spring tuition.
Orbabek also confirmed that striking students no longer qualify for health care coverage through the school. “The subsidy of their student health care coverage is a benefit of employment,” Orbanek told Insider. “As they are not working, that subsidy has stopped.”
The University’s response has garnered national attention. Temple students and Philadelphia politicians alike have come together to express outrage at the actions taken by Temple University.
“Temple has made the egregious and immoral choice to cut these benefits during the strike,” said Bethany Kosmicki, a member of the negotiating committee and former TUGSA president in a statement to the Inquirer. “We have had people who have been turned away from doctor’s appointments and who have had to pay out-of-pocket for prescriptions,” she continued. “We are working on solutions to get people access to health care again.
PA Senator Nikil Saval said that the revocation was “utterly reprehensible”, calling it “anti-student, anti-teacher, anti-worker, anti-knowledge, and anti-Philly” in a statement on social media.
US Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat elected last fall, expressed support for the striking students earlier this month, saying, “It’s long past time for Temple to come to the table [and] provide these workers with a good contract, fair pay, and better benefits.”
