U-46 contract talks fail; district heads to mediator

After 15 hours at the bargaining table Tuesday, Elgin Area School District U-46 officials and union leaders failed to reach a tentative contract deal for teachers, union officials said today.

Both sides now are scheduled to meet with a federal mediator on Dec. 6 to try to resolve the issue.

The district's 2,400 teachers have been working without a contract since the beginning of the school year.

A narrow majority of teachers rejected a tentative deal in October.

Since the vote, bargaining teams have met three times.

Initially, the groups said they would bring in a mediator if they did not reach a deal last Monday.

They then scheduled the Tuesday meeting as a last-ditch effort to resolve the dispute without outside help.

Union officials declined to comment until meeting with leadership groups.