Sunday, September 22, 2002

A story released today by the Associated Press reports that when graduate assistants negotiated their first contract with Temple University in April, they thought they also were the first of the unions representing various Temple employees to win health coverage for same-sex partners of those covered by the labor agreement.

Now the university has said members of the Temple University Graduate Students' Association members won't be able to sign up for the benefits after all.

Gary Kapanowski, president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1723, which represents professional and technical workers at Temple, said the hitch may stem from an Aug. 29 Commonwealth Court ruling that struck down an ordinance granting such benefits for Philadelphia city employees.

Martin S. Dorph, Temple vice president for financial affairs and human resources, issued a statement saying the university ran into "legal obstacles" when it attempted to provide the benefits.

"We are continuing to try to resolve the problem and provide the coverage under the terms of our agreement," Dorph said. He didn't return calls seeking comment on whether the legal obstacles involved the rejection of the city ordinance.

Kapanowski said the AFSCME local, which represents about 700 research technicians, accountants and other professional workers, had sought such benefits for several years and had a contract provision saying they would be granted to its members if they were granted to any other Temple employees. When TUGSA won the coverage in April, Kapanowski said his local expected to receive it as well.

"By filing an official grievance we will put it into a formal setting to get a formal explanation, because we are not getting one now," Kapanowski said.