Rider University entrance file photo

Rider University

(Martin Griff | Times of Trenton)

“The parties have come to an agreement. There will be no strike.”

That’s the message that sits atop the website of the Rider University faculty union.

Contract talks came to a head Sunday, the final day of the most recent extension to negotiations. The two sides appear to have closed a void over the weekend, but neither would comment on the terms of the tentative deal.

“The university is pleased to announce that the administration and the Rider chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), which represents the faculty, coaches and athletic trainers, have successfully reached an agreement subject to ratification by the AAUP and the university Board of Trustees,” said John Lenox, assistant vice president of communications and marketing, in a statement.

The university expects to vote on the three-year deal by the end of the month, said Kristine Brown, Rider spokeswoman. The union, which represents 621 full- and part-time faculty members, will vote on ratification early next week, said Jeff Halpern, chief negotiator for the Rider AAUP.

Ratification from both sides would bring an end to months of negotiations and weeks of dealing with the looming possibility of a strike.

These negotiations began in the summer as the last three-year contract neared its end in August. As the contract expired, the parties agreed to extend it to the end of September.

On Sept. 23, the university chapter of the American Association of University Professors received authorization from its members to call for a strike if the negotiation team deemed it necessary.

Ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline, the two sides reached an agreement to extend the current contract through Sunday and set up three days of meetings through the weekend.

Union representatives said at the time that if there was no agreement by Sunday, they would have to take action, which could take the form of a strike.

Throughout the weekend, the union updated its website on the status of negotiations.

After Friday’s talks, the union expressed its resistance to what it saw as unnecessarily painful proposals from the university: cuts to benefits and a three-year wage freeze.

At the end of Saturday’s meeting, the union updated its website to say that it had offered concessions, including a one-year wage freeze, but that the sides were “still far apart.”

On Sunday, the day of the final scheduled negotiation before the possible strike, the two sides came together on a tentative deal, the details of which have not been disclosed by either side.

Below its announcement that there will not be a strike, the union had another message.

“Please be at work Monday.”

Beyond the length of the deal, neither Rider nor the union will disclose the terms of the deal before it is ratified, but the administration sounded an optimistic note.

“The university administration and the AAUP have a long history of a professional and respectful relationship, and this successful resolution is another example of our ongoing collaboration as we work together to ensure our university’s bright future,” Lenox said.

Brendan McGrath may be reached at bmcgrath@njtimes.com. Follow him on Twitter @brendanrmcgrath. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.