Coaches ‘closer’ to reaching a contract with State System

Optimism has been scarce of late in labor talks involving Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned universities.

But Tuesday, negotiations involving coaches appeared to end on relatively good terms — at least based on a statement from one of the parties, the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties.

APSCUF, which last Friday announced an Oct. 19 strike date for 5,100 faculty, emerged Tuesday sounding more upbeat after bargaining in Harrisburg involving its 400 coaches. The union said talks over the past two days left it more hopeful of a contract deal and that the sides appear “much, much closer.”

It said that coaches and management would meet again Monday, and that the union submitted a comprehensive proposal to the State System that includes wage and health care components. It it did not provide any details, however, and the State System had no immediate reaction Tuesday evening.

“We had two really productive days with a lot of progress made,” John Gump, the union’s coach executive leader, said in a statement. “The sides are much, much closer than we’ve been at any point in the last 455 days.

“There’s still work to do and issues to be addressed, but I’m

hopeful we can continue to make progress when we get back together,” he added.

Earlier this month, coaches joined faculty in authorizing their APSCUF leaders to call a strike. A date for those coaches to strike has not been set, however.

Faculty members have said they will strike Oct. 19 unless their 15-month-old dispute is resolved by that date. Negotiators for the faculty and the State System are scheduled to resume talks Thursday.

A strike by coaches potentially would jeopardize football games and a range of other sports at the 14 universities belonging to the State System. Their contract, like the one covering faculty, expired June 30, 2015.

The 14 universities in the State System of Higher Education include Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester universities of Pennsylvania.