האגודה הישראלית לחקר יחסי עבודה

Faculty members at Pennsylvania's 14 universities have voted overwhelmingly to give union leaders the authority to call a work stoppage.

But union leaders said they will make no decision before the completion of negotiations Friday.

About 82 percent of more than 5,000 faculty who are members of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties cast ballots last week. A union spokeswoman said 93 percent voted for the strike authorization.

The vote came as about 107,000 students began their third week of classes at the schools, including California, Indiana, Edinboro and Slippery Rock universities in Western Pennsylvania.

A strike authorization vote for coaches who belong to APSCUF is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

Association President Kenneth Mash said union leaders plan to participate in a negotiation session with representatives of the State System of Higher Education on Friday before calling for a stoppage.

State system spokesman Kenn Marshall previously said officials at the universities have been working on contingency plans to ensure classes are not disrupted in the event of a strike.

“Despite the fact that we are facing the most serious financial challenges we have ever faced as a system, we are committed to continue bargaining with the faculty to reach a settlement that is fair to everyone including the students. Hopefully we can reach that without any interruption of the semester,” Marshall said.

Union members have been working without a contract since June 30, 2015.

“We will not set a date until we have at least one more chance to go to the negotiations table to ensure that we are doing everything we can do. A strike remains the last resort,” Mash said in a statement issued late Monday afternoon.

Among the sticking points in negotiations, union spokesmen cited proposals that would increase the use of temporary faculty, make use of students with limited graduate credits in the classroom, stop funding faculty research and professional development, force on-campus students into distance education, cut the lowest-paid faculty members' salaries by 20 percent and charge more for reduced medical benefits.

Marshall said state system officials hope to hear the union's proposals when they meet on Friday.

“We've made very specific proposals on salaries, health care and temporary faculty. We're hopeful APSCUF will provide us with proposals, so we can reach a settlement that is fair to everyone. We are committed to bargaining in good faith,” he said.

Union members have authorized a work stoppage during negotiations four times before but never walked out of the classroom.

With a strike authorization in place, union leaders would have to seek committee approval and set a date for a work stoppage. Mash said those steps could be completed during a phone call.

Brian Swatt, president of the Student Government Association at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, said the labor dispute is drawing mixed reactions from students at the school.

“There are a lot of students who are worried, but there are a lot who are uninformed or misinformed. It's my job as student government leader to make sure they get the most unbiased information and know that there is a contingency plan in place to make sure there is no disruption of classes,” said Swatt.

The sophomore from Scranton, who is a double major in political science and economics, said he wants to ensure that students do not become bargaining chips in the negotiations.

“We want to ensure that APSCUF is not using students to leverage its position in negotiations,” Swatt said.

Debra Erdley is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach her at 412-320-7996 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..