MTA approves tentative contract, union still to vote

The Rev. Jesse Jackson

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- The Metropolitan Transit Authority's Board of Directors on Tuesday ratified a tentative contract agreement to end a month-long strike by rail and bus drivers.

Later Tuesday night, the 4,300 striking members of the United Transportation Union were to vote on the agreement.

Earlier, the MTA and UTU reached a tentative settlement to halt the strike, which left nearly half a million bus and train riders struggling to find alternate transportation.

MTA chief Julian Burke, Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan and the Rev. Jesse Jackson participated in high-powered negotiations for several hours Monday and into Tuesday morning before reaching the agreement.

The UTU represents bus and rail operators who have been on strike since September 16.

Now that a settlement has been reached, it will take at least 24 hours to get the city's buses running and at least two days to get the trains back up to speed, Riordan said.

With 2,200 MTA buses, Los Angeles' public transportation system is the third-largest in the country, behind New York's and New Jersey's.

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