Jun 28, 2013 05:20 PM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

With only the weekend left to negotiate a new contract, hundreds of Temple University and Hospital workers have said they are ready to strike if need be, CBS Philadelphia reported.

Temple's contract with a union representing about 800 employees of the school and of the school's hospital will expire at the end of the month and if the two sides do not reach an agreement, the workers have said they will go on strike.

Temple's unionized employees held a rally Thursday in Old City.

"We're going from a 12 percent increase (over four years)," said Rene Nelson, an executive board member. "They're trying to take us down to 2 percent over a four year period."

She said healthcare and monetary raises are at the center of the negotiations. She also said the talks have been "OK," but noted the two sides are still at a disagreement, adding that the union has taken the negotiations personally.

"It's always personal. Anytime you're talking about not giving us a raise, it's always personal," Nelson said. "You're talking about taking benefits from our members, not giving us a raise, taking away our livelihood. That is very personal."

A Temple spokesman said the university will "continue to negotiate in good faith and look forward to reaching an agreement in the near future."

Temple's Board of Trustees voted last week to raise the school's tuition and fees by 3.6 percent after freezing the rates a year ago for the first time since 1995.

"For this year, doing zero just wasn't possible," Ken Kaiser, senior associate vice president for finance and human resources, told The Philadelphia Inquirer at the time.

The Inquirer also reported earlier this week that Temple's Health System laid off 11 positions at the Fox Chase Cancer Center and 14 at the Jeanes Hospital. The two buildings combine for about 3,500 employees and officials said they have been looking to find new positions for the affected management and non-management workers.

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