Temple RAs ask for union recognition to join Local 153!

PHILADELPHIA, September 30, 2024 – Temple University Resident Assistants, Peer Mentors, and Residence Hall Association Executive Board Members file for union recognition with OPEIU-153

Today, 78% of Temple University’s 132 Resident Assistants, Peer Mentors, and Residence Hall Association Executive Board Members submitted a letter to President Richard Englert to announce their formation of a union with OPEIU-153 and to demand voluntary recognition.

Temple University Resident Assistants (RAs) are undergraduate student workers hired by the University to live in the residence halls and oversee anywhere between 30 to 70 residents. Some of the responsibilities RAs have are to attend weekly staff meetings, have 1-on-1 meetings with each of their residents, design and put up monthly bulletin boards, hold monthly events for residents, and work overnight on-call duty shifts where RAs serve as first responders to any emergencies inside the dorm. RAs are expected to work a minimum of 20 hours per week on the role, and often they will work more than those 20 expected hours.

Peer Mentors (PMs) are undergraduate student workers hired by the University to live in the residence halls to oversee and create a sense of community within their assigned Living Learning Communities. PMs are required to have 1-on-1 meetings with their residents, hold monthly events for residents, attend weekly staff meetings, connect residents to the necessary resources for their learning community, and they are also expected to work a minimum of 20 hours per week on the role.

Residence Hall Association Executive Board Members (RHAs) are undergraduate student workers hired by the University to provide advocacy, leadership, and civic engagement opportunities to residents with the purpose of encouraging the holistic development of residents. 

The University limits the RAs and PMs extracurricular commitments (including part-time jobs, internships, clubs & organizations, other leadership positions, etc.). First year RAs have a limit of 10 hours per week of outside commitments, and returning RAs up to 15 hours per week. First year PMs can have up to 15 hours of outside commitments, and returning PMs up to 20 hours per week. The RAs and PMs are also required to disclose all outside commitments with their supervisor. 

Balancing all these responsibilities with an enriching personal life is difficult, which is why often RAs and PMs end up burning out, which affects their performance on the job and engagement with residents, which is the last thing they want since RAs and PMs care deeply about their communities.

“Being an RA and building connections with residents is one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had in college. However, those good moments are not enough to make up for all the stress and burnout that we often go through. Unionizing is an important step to get more support and proper compensation for all the work that RAs do so that we can also offer better support to our residents."

-Mario Rodriguez Canuto, Temple University Resident Assistant since Fall 2023

Even though they do all the work listed above and more, RAs, PMs, and RHAs do not get directly paid for their work during the school year. The compensation offered by the University for RAs and PMs is a dorm room, an unlimited meal plan at the campus dining hall, and a $200 stipend per semester directly applied to their tuition rather than it being given directly to them. This stipend is helpful. However, it is not enough to fulfill the needs of many RAs who rely on this job to finance their college education, which can cost over $40,000 per year. Furthermore, RHAs don’t even get a stipend like RAs or PMs; their only compensation is free housing at a residence hall. 

“Temple RAs are some of the kindest, most hard-working people I've ever met. We love our job and we love our residents, but many of us can't afford to keep doing this if something doesn't change. I broke my leg this summer and my copays alone have put me into real financial trouble because I can't work more than 15 hours a week outside of ResLife. All we are asking is that administration sit with us through this transition and work with our union to ensure we are able to keep our amazing community.”

-Jam Stebbins, Temple University Resident Assistant since Fall 2023

By unionizing, the Temple Union of Resident Assistants (TURA) hopes to secure fair compensation, job security, and better treatment for current and future Resident Assistants, Peer Mentors, and members of the Executive Board of the Residence Hall Association at Temple University.