PITTSBURGH _ Faculty at the 14 state-owned universities in Pennsylvania went on strike Wednesday and began taking up picket lines on campuses statewide and in the state capital after bargaining to prevent the first classroom walkout in the system's 34 years collapsed.
The strike against the State System of Higher Education by the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties affects 105,000 students and more than 5,000 faculty.
Both sides had negotiated for five days but the talks broke apart over issues including health care costs Tuesday night. The system made a last, best offer, which the union rejected, and management said it was done bargaining for the night.
The strike drew sharp reaction from Gov. Tom Wolf, who called the breakdown in talks "shortsightedness on both sides."
"I am extremely disappointed in the failure of (the State System) and APSCUF to reach an agreement," the governor said. "The resulting strike is detrimental to the system and will have far-reaching effects for years to come."
Kenneth Mash, APSCUF president, said the union waited for management to return and tried to reach out once again to no avail.
"At 11:35 p.m., we made a last attempt to negotiate through back channels," he said. "We waited until 5 a.m. We are headed to the picket lines, but even on the picket lines, our phones will be on, should the State System decide it doesn't want to abandon its students.
"They'll know where to find me ... I'll be outside the chancellor's office ... on the picket line."
"It's a sad day for the Commonwealth," he said.
State System spokesman Kenn Marshall said Wednesday morning it was unclear when the sides would return to the bargaining table.
"We are disappointed in the faculty union's decision to go on strike this morning," he said in an emailed statement. "After five days of marathon bargaining, our negotiating team waited through the night Tuesday and into early Wednesday morning for APSCUF's response to our proposal to give every faculty member a raise."
His comment was a reference to some $159 million in raises, nearly 12 percent, that management has said it put on the table. APSCUF disputes that total.
"We were hopeful the union would accept the proposal so that our students could resume their normal routines, and go back to worrying about their next test rather than whether their professor would be in class," the statement continued.
The union has said it offered millions in concessions, including higher insurance costs for its members, but the State System wanted more.
Pay, not counting extra courses and summer work, ranges from $46,609 for first-year instructors at the lowest of 13 pay steps to $112,238 for professors at the top.
In-state tuition set centrally by the State System's board of governors is $7,238 a year for Pennsylvania undergraduates, though four of the 14 schools have adopted per-credit price policies that have led to higher rates for many students on those campuses.
