INDIANA, Pa. — State negotiators and the union representing faculty and coaches at 14 state-owned universities concluded a two-day session of meetings Wednesday, and it appears they are no closer to a new contract.

In press releases on the session both sides took shots at each other, continuing a contentious public back-and-forth that ramped up this month when the union’s negotiating team complained about state negotiators publicly posting proposals and tentatively agreed to provisions online.

Negotiators for the state responded by saying those postings have been common practice back to 1999.

Ken Marshall, a spokesman for the system, said in the release, “While we hope APSCUF is making every effort to understand the financial realities facing our universities, the union’s demands for costly new items such as free memberships to on-campus fitness facilities suggests otherwise.”

James Martin, the vice president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, said the union’s expectations of progress at negotiating sessions remains low. He said that state negotiators didn’t appear to be interested in tackling the major financial questions facing the system.

“We have been working under an expired contract for 407 days and still have not begun to discuss anything related to economics. It is exasperating,” Martin said in an APSCUF press release.

The union’s membership includes 475 professors and 30 coaches at Slippery Rock University.

With the fall semester of classes to begin this month, a strike by APSCUF members across the state system remains a possibility. APSCUF leaders have said that an Aug. 25 conference call where union delegates will decide whether the group’s full membership will vote to authorize a strike remains on the schedule.

Marshall called the threat “standard practice” for union negotiators, saying such votes have taken place in each of the past four rounds of contract negotiations. He said such a strike would be “devastating to students.”

The two sides are to return to the bargaining table for another two-day session starting Aug. 25.