An independent fact finder in Michigan has released a report that may help end a longstanding labor dispute between Eastern Michigan University and its faculty union, the Detroit News reported. After going on strike for two weeks at the beginning of the academic year, professors at Eastern Michigan have worked for the past seven months without a contract.

According to the newspaper, the state-appointed fact finder said that the professors’ salary demands were reasonable, but agreed with the administration that professors should contribute more for health care. The union said that it would agree to the fact finder’s recommendations if the administration did the same. In a statement posted the university’s Web site, however, the president of Eastern Michigan said the two sides would have to return to the negotiating table. —John Gravois