Union coaches and the state system made a tentative agreement for a new contract Thursday, ending a 16-month streak of working without a contract.
The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) includes faculty members and about 600 athletic coaches. Faculty and coaches negotiate their contracts with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) separately.
Though both sectors of the union independently voted to authorize a strike, coaches refrained from having a job action. John Gump, APSCUF coach executive leader, said coaches joined faculty members on the picket lines to support their efforts for a contract.
The details of both contracts are to be announced once faculty members and coaches ratify the agreements. APSCUF coaches worked for 485 days after their old contract expired. The new deal will run until June 30, 2019.
“It’s been a long, and at times, difficult process, but I’m very pleased with the deal we have reached,” Gump said, according to an APSCUF press release. The new contract provides coaches with reasonable salary increases and an affordable healthcare plan, he said.
“Now, we can get back to doing what we love — coaching our teams and working with our student-athletes,” Gump said. “I join my fellow coaches in appreciation for the hard work of our team and for the time they put into this process.”
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