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The Orange County Transportation Authority and its bus drivers avoided a strike after both sides struck a tentative agreement around 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to Teamsters Local 952 spokesperson Margie Stites.
Full details have yet to be released, but the two sides reached agreements on key issues like pay raises, lunch and bathroom breaks, according to Local 952 Business Representative Miguel Aceves.
"We're just happy to get through this and not be a burden to the people that use the bus system," he said.
The more than 600 OCTA bus drivers represented by Local 952 are expected to vote on ratifying the contract next week.
Intense negotiations started on Monday around 1 p.m. and lasted until 9 a.m. Tuesday, which was beyond a deadline set by the bus drivers, according to Aceves.
Prior to the agreement, the OCTA had begun warning riders of a possible service disruption, said spokesperson Joel Zlotnick.
