HARRISBURG — The union representing Slippery Rock University faculty members and coaches failed this week to reach a contract agreement with negotiators from the State System of Higher Education.

The unsuccessful meeting Tuesday between negotiators from the state system and the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties stoked fears that educators across the 14 state-owned universities and colleges could vote later this month to authorize a strike.

In a press release, the union said both sides reached minor agreements during negotiations this week, but characterized the progress as “plodding” and said it came as both sides searched for common ground among 249 changes the state system proposed this year to the previous collective bargaining agreement, which expired on June 30, 2015.

A sore spot for union negotiations has been the system’s publication of the union proposals and agreed-upon provisions, which APSCUF called “unprecedented” and damaging to negotiations.

“The system continually seems intent on sabotaging our negotiations,” said APSCUF President Kenneth M. Mash. “They are not doing this with any other union’s proposals. It just seems spiteful.”

Negotiators for the state system, in their press release, blamed the union for a lack of progress, saying APSCUF has refused to submit “any proposals in writing or sign off on any tentative agreements,” unless the system agreed not to publish proposals submitted by either side.

“It has been standard practice dating back to 1999 for the system to post proposals during negotiations with the faculty union,” the system said in its press release.

The drawn out negotiations mean that the specter of a strike by educators and coaches throughout the 14 state-owned universities and colleges — which includes 475 professors and 30 coaches at SRU — remains.

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, APSCUF said.

According to the state system’s Website, the two sides will meet again next week. Meetings are also scheduled later this month and in September.

The two sides are trying to find common ground on issues including distance education, office hours for faculty members, and whether university e-mail systems should be used to distribute official union communications.

The system’s proposal is available at http://bit.ly/2aQZVxk

Download both sides’ proposals and counterproposals on the issues at http://bit.ly/2aJlIEA