Pittsburgh transit labor dispute settled

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A tentative agreement to settle the labor dispute at Pittsburgh’s transit agency has been reached, both sides announced Tuesday night, averting the threat of a strike to begin next week.

Terms of the agreement weren’t released in a joint statement by the Port Authority of Allegheny County and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85.

The 2,200 employees represented by the union are continuing to work under the terms of the contract that expired June 30. The new agreement is to take effect once the union membership and the Port Authority board ratify it. It was not immediately clear how long ratification will take.

Before the tentative agreement, the Port Authority had been threatening to impose new conditions of employment Monday. The union contended that would be illegal and threatened to strike if the transit agency did so.

Port Authority buses, trolleys and subways carry nearly 220,000 riders on an average weekday.

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