The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties' coaches delegates moved one step closer to a strike Thursday in approving the taking of a strike authorization vote of all coaches in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

APSCUF represents the only collegiate coaches union in the United States and has been in contract negotiations with the State System for more than a year.

"We've had very little progress at all," APSCUF president Pat Heilman said. "We've already offered to go to binding arbitration with them and they (the State System) refused.

"We're running out of options."

Tom Gluck, public relations director for the State System, said binding arbitration will never be a viable option toward reaching a settlement.

"By law, our 20-member Board of Governors has the authority to negotiate contracts and it's not going to give that up," he said.

The APSCUF coaches have been working without a new contract since July 1, 2004. Contract negotiations began in May 2004.

The decision to take the strike authorization vote "followed a report of unfavorable status of contract negotiations and the state system's rejection of APSCUF's offer to go to binding arbitration," an APSCUF press release stated Monday.

APSCUF coaches are involved in every sport of the 14-team Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The lone coaches at Slippery Rock University who are faculty members - and therefore not part of the coaches union - are head football coach George Mihalik, offensive coordinator Vic Campagna and baseball coach Jeff Messer.

East Stroudsburg's Denny Dowds is the only other PSAC head football coach who is not a member of the APSCUF coaches union.

"I hope it doesn't come to that but, yeah, they've pretty much got the power to shut the conference down," Mihalik said of the union. "Hopefully, this is just one necessary step in the bargaining process.

"Things can happen in the 11th hour and often do once it gets to this point."

The strike authorization vote will take place at all 14 universities June 6 to 8. The ballots will be counted in Harrisburg June 14.

An affirmative strike authorization vote from the coaches would give the State APSCUF Executive Council the authority to call a strike, if such action is deemed necessary.

"It's a bargaining chip we need to have," Heilman said.

The main stalemated issues are salaries and job security.

"Those issues are important to the coaches and we've addressed them," Gluck said. "I think we're close on the coaching evaluation process.

"The pay raise scale we're offering is in line with the other unions we've negotiated contracts with. The coaches want more. It's a sticking point."

Heilman said the State System is offering a 3 percent annual pay increase, roughly $1,200 per year "which is fine in and of itself."

"But the problem is that coaches have to carry the same health care co-payment as faculty members and their salaries do not compare. That $1,200 salary increase offer goes with a health care co-payment of $1,291 yearly for a coach with a family.

"What union is going to accept a contract proposal that's going to cause its members to lose money?" Heilman added.

Of the 360 full-time coaches represented by APSCUF, 164 earn less than $40,000 per year. Only six coaches in the PSAC earn as much as $85,000 per year.

One fulltime golf coach in the conference makes as little as $17,000 annually, Heilman said.

APSCUF is proposing that the health care cost to coaches would be no more than half the amount of their pay increase.

"Everybody in the State System, from the chancellors on down, have to participate in sharing the cost of health insurance," Gluck said.

"I'm not surprised this (negotiation) is taking so long. These are tough economic times, state dollars are drying up and health insurance is expensive. But I do believe we've made progress," he added.

Heilman argued that some PSAC coaches have not had contracts renewed in years past despite favorable evaluations from administrative staff, fellow coaches and student-athletes.

"It has to go beyond wins and losses in determining whether a coach loses his or her job," Heilman said. "The 14 schools we represent all play each other. Everybody's not going to have a winning record. That's impossible."

Gluck declined to discuss the affects a coaches strike would have on the PSAC.

"Obviously, that's their call, but a settlement is the best way to go," he said. "We're still bargaining. These are resolvable issues and that's what we're focusing on."

A coaches strike would be the first in NCAA history.

"This is all pioneering ground," Mihalik said. "There's no history or precedent to follow here. We'd be making history - but it's history we'd rather not make."