PA. UNIVERSITIES Faculty vote to decide strike call

Bargaining talks will resume Friday.
HARRISBURG (AP) -- The union representing 5,500 faculty members at Pennsylvania's 14 state-owned universities began voting Monday on whether its executive council should call for a strike if contract negotiations break down.
The results of the two-day vote by the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties will be announced Thursday, union spokesman Kevin Kodish said. A favorable vote would not set a strike deadline, he said.
The union and the State System of Higher Education have been negotiating for more than a year over new work rules to replace a contract that expired June 30. Both sides have clashed over salary increases and health benefits during negotiations.
When the two sides first discussed economic terms in May, the system proposed a two-year contract that would freeze wages in both years. The union demanded a three-year contract with annual salary increases ranging from 2 percent to 3.25 percent.
The next bargaining session is scheduled for Friday.
System officials have said they are unable to offer a more generous proposal because of the state's budget woes. The system has raised undergraduate tuition by 5 percent and asked the universities to cut spending by about $40 million to help compensate for a 5 percent reduction in state aid.
"Our fiscal condition is unfortunate, and a strike authorization vote doesn't change that," system spokesman Tom Gluck said.