RAINIER — The teachers union dropped its request for two extra days of pay during contract negotiations with Rainier School District on Tuesday, and the district proposed keeping medical benefits the same for the 2009-10 school year rather than cut its contribution as earlier proposed.

Still, no progress was made on wages or benefits during the two-hour meeting, which marked the eighth round of contract talks between the district and the Rainier Education Association.

“It’s still part of our proposal, but we’re not hanging anything on that,” union negotiator Dot Russell said of dropping the two days. “I know it is something my team is willing to give up.”

The district wants to freeze wages and seniority-based “steps” for the 2009-10 school year and reopen wage negotiations in the spring, when it’s better known what the state funding will be. The union has proposed a pay freeze until February, when a 3.3 percent cost-of-living increase would kick in, followed by a cost-of-living increase for 2010-11.

“The board has said it will not pay for increases for salary or insurance if it means laying off more people,” district negotiator Nancy Hungerford said. “If you drop (the two days), that would show some movement on your part.”

The district’s offer for medical benefits would keep the district’s contribution the same through 2011. Prior to Tuesday’s offer, the district sought to reduce its contribution for 2009-10 by 4.7 percent, then restore the rate in 2010-11.

The majority of Tuesday’s meeting was spent hammering out language for leaves of absence, layoffs, job-sharing and employee rights.

After the meeting, both sides expressed frustration with the slow progress on salaries and benefits.

“If we bring back a financial package, it will be all finances together, “ Russell said. “That would include compensation, insurance, the funding clause and work year and work day. They’re all connected.”

“There’s a lot of language still on the table,” Hungerford said. “The reason why it’s going slow is, from the board’s perspective, the association is still being unrealistic on economic issues. If the economic issues were worked out, we’d have more motivation to meet more often, to move more quickly.”

Teachers will return to work next month without a contract. The next negotiating session will be at the end of September.