Transit strike negotiations continued into the night Monday. Parties began talks at 2 p.m. and as of 9 p.m., a union official said the two sides were still negotiating.

Metropolitan Council, which oversees Metro Transit, and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005, which represents 2,150 Metro Transit workers, are bargaining over a contract that expired in May. The main issue is health care.

This is the third negotiation since the strike began March 4. Talks were last held Wednesday and included Gov. Tim Pawlenty. The talk lasted seven hours and officials from both the union and Met Council said the negotiations showed progress.