Meridian teachers' contract negotiations continue

MACON, Ill. (WAND) - Members of the union representing teachers in Meridian Community Unit School District #15 said another bargaining session took place Wednesday night.

Still, no agreement has been reached. They spent more than five hours bargaining.

Last month, the union voted to authorize a strike.

Teachers at Meridian CUSD #15 have been working without a contract for the last few months. The Meridian Federation of Teachers started contract negotiations back in June.

“After five months of going back and forth, after letting our current contract expire in August, after an outpouring of support for our teachers from our community, it is inconceivable that this is still ongoing,” said MFT President Brian Pekovitch. “We have been patient. We understand that it’s hard to get everyone’s schedules to align. But we’ve only been able to meet with them six times in the past five months. Settling this contract should be a priority of the district and the school board, and dragging this out into another month is not acceptable. We should have been done by now.”

The district has not commented in the past about ongoing negotiations.