With only 12 days remaining before the start of the fall semester, the American Association of University Professors and Oakland University have extended the 2009 faculty contracts for the fourth time after both sides failed to reach an agreement by a midnight Thursday deadline.

The two sides agreed to extend the contract until 5 p.m. on Friday and the AAUP said they remain optimistic that a fair settlement will be reached soon.

In an effort to help negotiations move forward with limited distraction, the state-appointed mediator moved the negotiations off of OU’s campus to the Michigan Employment Relations Commission headquarters, according to AAUP President Karen Miller.

The reason for the move was “the presence of the media on campus, seeking updates on the status of the negotiations,” according to the AAUP’s bargaining diaries.

According to the AAUP’s website, Oakland’s bargaining team presented a new economic package during the negotiations today, after waiting eight days since their last proposal.

“This afternoon, Oakland presented a 25-page packaged that contained even less money than their last proposal,” the AAUP diaries said. “We immediately started working on our next response and hope to be able to deliver it tomorrow.

Oakland’s bargaining diaries have not been updated.

Although contacted, both negotiating teams for Oakland and the AAUP have agreed to not speak with the press during the remainder of the negotiations.

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Contact Managing Editor Christopher Lauritsen via email or follow him on Twitter @ChrisLaurtsen