With Port Authority unionized workers having overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year contract last night, it will now be up to the authority's board of directors to seal the deal.

	Martha Rial, Post-Gazette Port Authority driver Lisa Richko embraces driving instructor Flo Johnson in front of Soldiers & Sailors National Military Museum & Memorial in Oakland after they and other union members voted on a new three-year contract yesterday morning. The union conducted another ratification vote last night. Click photo for larger image.

The 2,300-member Local 85, Amalgamated Transit Union, yesterday approved the contract hammered out during marathon bargaining that ended early Saturday.

The voting took place in separate morning and evening sessions at Soldiers & Sailors National Military Museum & Memorial in Oakland. About 1,700 union members turned out to vote. A final vote tally was not available last night.

"Obviously, the membership was satisfied and can live with the contract, and today's vote tells the story," said Local 85 President/Business Manager Patrick McMahon. "I think we did a good job for the membership."

The authority board meets at 11 a.m. today and since the majority of the nine members are appointees of County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, who helped broker the deal, approval is considered likely.

The contract, resulting from 47 hours of give-and-take Thursday and Friday nights, is said to contain some things that neither party likes.

"That's a good indication that you've got a fair, balanced contract," Gov. Ed Rendell said. He flew into town Friday night to join Mr. Onorato and members of both staffs to spearhead agreement on the final sticking points.

As a result of averting a strike that could have occurred as early as Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year, the status quo will be preserved at least through December 2006 for 260,000 daily riders and 3,000 Port Authority employees: No fare hikes, no service cuts and no lost jobs.

Until then, the authority's finances are to be bolstered by $113.4 million in federal highway funds "flexed" to transit by Mr. Rendell and $25.5 million in savings and extra state money achieved in the new contract.

By then, Mr. Rendell hopes to persuade the state Legislature to pass long-term, dedicated funding for more than six dozen transit systems across Pennsylvania, including the Philadelphia-based Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, where the governor recently stepped in to settle a week-long strike.

"I'm gratified we were able to settle both contracts without anything major to slow the momentum of mass transit ridership increases," Mr. Rendell said. "They were both settled in a way to get permanent funding for transit, although that is not guaranteed, not by any means."

The old contract expired in July for the Local 85 bargaining unit representing operators, mechanics and support personnel. Union members will work at the same wage until Jan. 1, when the first of three yearly 3 percent wage increases will go into effect. The current top rate for bus drivers is $21.53 an hour.

"It's easier voting for a contract than it is voting for a strike," Local 85 President-Business Manager Patrick McMahon said.

For the first time, Local 85 members will contribute toward health insurance -- 1 percent of base pay. The provision will be extended to about 300 management/administrative employees.

Health insurance that cost the authority a total of $38.8 million in 2004, an expense held in check because of a special Highmark Blue Cross agreement that froze premiums, was to cost $51.9 million this year and $67.4 million next year. The numbers will drop not only because of employee contributions but because Mr. Rendell is going to advance state money to pay the premiums at the start of the year, thereby earning about a 5 percent discount.

A pension program that Mr. Rendell called "too rich" will remain in effect for current Local 85 members, but future employees will be covered by a less liberal plan.

Also, the agreement drops a provision sought by the authority and opposed by Local 85 to outsource some maintenance and other traditional union jobs to private firms.

The Port Authority was still crunching numbers yesterday, so more precise financial impacts were not yet available.

Also, contract details were being kept under wraps until after today's authority board meeting.