HARRISBURG Pa.

The administration and union representing faculty at Pennsylvania's 14 state-owned universities are in the midst of a final round of contract talks, hoping to resolve their differences before the current work rules expire Saturday.

The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties has threatened to go on strike as early as next week if both sides are unable to reach an agreement at the end of three days of talks that began Thursday. Progress has been slow so far, according to representatives of the union and the State System of Higher Education.

"At this point, I'm feeling a little pessimistic," union president Pat Heilman said Friday.

At the same time, both sides are "making a very serious attempt to settle this," state system spokesman Kenn Marshall said.

Among other points of contention, the union has argued that the system's proposed salary increases are insufficient to retain faculty, noting that more than 1,000 professors have left the system in the last five years.

The union is seeking a 20 percent increase over four years. The system has proposed a one-time, $1,250 cash payment in the first year, followed by across-the-board increases totaling 7 percent over the rest of the contract, along with seniority-based increases for eligible faculty.

The average nine-month salary for full-time faculty was $70,000 in the 2006-07 academic year, and maximum salaries currently range from $60,000 for instructors to roughly $98,000 for full professors, system officials said.

The sides also differ over the use of temporary, nonunion faculty members and distance education incentives.

On the Net:

Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties: http://www.apscuf.org

State System of Higher Education: http://www.passhe.edu

Key issues in the contract dispute between the State System of Higher Education and its professors' union: