While the faculty union of the State System of Higher Education says that there may be no use holding additional negotiations on a new contract until the state backs off its positions on the key remaining issues, State System spokesman Kenn Marshall said yesterday that they still plan to meet on Friday and that they have added more bargaining sessions in December. Marshallsaid previously that there would be three sessions this month, but he had not disclosed any future plans.

The union said in a statement after last Friday’s session that if the State System did not move from its current positions on salary for temporary faculty, health care for current and retired faculty, and compensation for developing distance education courses, further negotiating would not be worthwhile.

The union is particularly set against the State System’s proposal for temporary faculty, which comprise about thirty percent of APSCUF’s membership.  They contend that the state wants to divide the union into two tiers and “push faculty into poverty” by cutting salaries by 35 percent.