Tentative deal is reached
HARRISBURG - Pennsylvania's 14 state-owned universities and the union representing their non-faculty coaches announced a tentative contract agreement Tuesday that would avert a threatened strike during the fall sports season.
The 360 coaches, including some at Slippery Rock University, would receive general salary increases of 3 percent in the second and third years of a three-year contract that would expire June 30, 2007. There would be no raises in the first year.
A strike would have been the first of its kind among collegiate athletic coaches and likely would have shut down the Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. But both sides moved toward a tentative agreement after a state mediator proposed a settlement on Friday.
"All of the issues were resolved to a point that striking for the difference wasn't a good thing," said Shippensburg University football coach Rocky Rees, co-chairman of the union's negotiating committee.
The State System of Higher Education and the union, the Association of Pennsylvania College and University Faculties, have disagreed over issues including health care, salary, retroactive pay, and tying renewals to performance reviews.
"It has been a long and difficult negotiation," system spokesman Kenn Marshall said.
The union's legislative assembly is expected to review the agreement next week, and a ratification vote likely would occur in late September, union president Pat Heilman said. The system's board of governors also would have to approve the agreement at its Oct. 27 quarterly meeting.
Union officials said earlier this month they had set a strike date but would not reveal what it was, saying only that the coaches would give 48 hours' notice before striking sometime before the end of football season, which begins Friday.
"The strike signs were made up and stapled to the wood. We were at 11:45 of the 11th hour," said Rees, whose team travels to Kutztown University for its season opener on Saturday.
PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray expressed relief that the prospect of a walkout had disappeared.
"I'm just pleased that we don't have to worry about it, that the contests will be starting later this week as normal," he said.
The contract would be dated retroactively to take effect on July 1, 2004, but the coaches will not receive any pay raise for the first year of the contract. Coaches also would be eligible to receive 2.5 percent merit increases in the second and third years based on performance evaluations.
The salary increases would cost the system $1.2 million over the next two years, Marshall said.
Beginning in January 2006, the coaches also would have to contribute one-half of 1 percent of their salary toward the cost of health insurance. The required payment would increase to 1 percent of their salary in January 2007.
The average salary for full-time assistant coaches under the expired contract is $33,950, and for full-time head coaches the average is $47,700.
STATE UNIVERSITY COACHES' TENTATIVE CONTRACT
Major provisions of a tentative three-year contract agreement for non-faculty coaches between the State System of Higher Education and the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Salaries:
No increase in the first year, 3 percent annual increases in the second and third years. The agreement also would raise annual minimum salaries from $30,000 to $32,500 for head coaches and from $25,000 to $27,500 for assistant coaches and eliminate salary caps of $85,000 for head coaches and $50,000 for assistant coaches.
Merit Pay:
Coaches would be eligible to receive merit increases of up to 2.5 percent annually in the second and third years based on performance evaluations.
Health Benefits:
Beginning Jan. 1, 2006, coaches must contribute one-half of 1 percent of their salary toward the cost of health insurance. The required contribution would increase to 1 percent of salary in January 2007.
Contract Renewals:
Full- and part-time coaches whose rolling contracts are not renewed would have to be informed in writing of the reasons for the non-renewal.
Senior Coaches:
Full- and part-time coaches with 10 or more consecutive years of employment would receive a one-time cash payment equal to $50 per year for each year of service.
