Oct. 4, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Kathryn Morton, or 717-236-7486
Coach negotiators made headway yesterday but stopped short of a contract.
“We made a lot of progress, but at the end of the day it was disappointing that we couldn’t come to an agreement,” Coach Executive Leader John Gump said of negotiations between the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
The sides agreed on a process for communication about potential elimination of sports. They also settled on a protocol for coaches who take over for vacated positions or colleagues on a leave of absence. A healthcare agreement remains in the works.
“With the uncertainty of healthcare and the possibility of significant new out-of-pocket costs for our members, we need to make sure that we protect them as best we can,” Gump said.
The sides met Monday from about 10:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. at APSCUF’s office in Harrisburg. APSCUF offered dates for future negotiation sessions, but the State System did not agree to those proposed times.
The coaches’ contract expired June 30, 2015. Negotiations have been ongoing since late 2014. APSCUF’s coaches voted last month to authorize a strike, but leadership has not set a strike date.
APSCUF represents about 5,500 faculty and coaches at the State System universities: Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester Universities of Pennsylvania.