Thousands of university faculty members in Pennsylvania went on strike Wednesday morning after negotiations for a new contract between their union and state representatives broke down.

It is the first time that the union, the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties, has gone on strike in its 34 years. It has been without a contract since June 30, 2015.

Kenneth M. Mash, the union president, said Wednesday that representatives for the state system walked away from negotiations around 8:30 Tuesday night. “I never heard of anything like it with such a major strike looming, but that’s what they did,’’ Mash said in an interview.

Kenn Marshall, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, said he was disappointed the faculty members went on strike.

“We understand it’s been a long time,’’ he said. “They’ve been working for well over a year without a contract, but we’re facing some very serious fiscal challenges here.’’

The union represents more than 5,000 professors and coaches at 14 institutions across the state with a combined enrollment of more than 100,000 students: Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock, and West Chester universities of Pennsylvania.

It does not represent the faculty at Penn State University, Temple University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Lincoln University.

A key issue for those on strike is health care: who pays for it and how much. The state system said it had offered the faculty members the same health care package as other state employees.

“They basically want better coverage and to have their members pay less for it’’ than other state employees, Marshall said.

Mash said, however, that the union had accepted “dramatic’’ reductions in health care coverage and had offered to pay deductibles, accept an increase in premiums, and pay more for prescriptions.

On the campus of West Chester University, in the western suburbs of Philadelphia, striking faculty members set up 10 picket lines Wednesday morning, attracting support from about 120 students who marched with placards and shouted encouragement.

“Without a quality contract, they can’t do their best job teaching us,’’ said Aaron Musselman, 32, a senior.

New York Times