BLOOMSBURG UNIVERSITY -- Fourteen state-owned universities across Pennsylvania are one step closer to a strike after a meeting Friday afternoon.
More than 5,500 faculty and coaches and countless students would be affected if the strike went through.
It seemed like a normal Friday at Bloomsburg University with students going to class, eating and making weekend plans.
There was an undercurrent of concern over contract negotiations and a possible state-wide faculty strike.
Now the students feel their education is up in the air.
"It's weird because you don't come here and expect to have that thrown in your face the first couple of weeks of school. Other than that I can understand why they are doing it," said Michelle Azgirey, a freshman
The Association of Pennsylvania State Colleges and University Faculties earlier this week voted on a possible strike.
When ballots were counted Friday afternoon 97 percent voted to call a strike, if necessary.
The union released the following statement:
"The message of today's vote is a simple one: We do not want to strike, but we won't allow a large part of our membership to be put in financial peril,” Coach Executive Leader John Gump said. “A more than 200 percent increase in cost to pay for a healthcare plan that delivers less to many of our members and their families is unacceptable, and we stand together to say the State System has to do better."
This isn't the first time a strike has been authorized, the latest was in 2012, but the faculty at the fourteen state-owned universities never actually went on strike.
"I'm just starting off college so I'm just trying everything out and it would just slow down that process even more and it's expensive to keep going through school. I don't want to be here five years," said Nick Gajdos.
"It's going to be rough for students if it does happen. We are young adults now, we pay for school and it's definitely a big concern what are we going to do how long is it going to last no one knows, said Justin Rodriguez.
The next work session to discuss the possibility of a faculty strike at the state-owned universities will be later this month in Harrisburg.
