The Port Authority board of directors today voted to defer imposing a "last and best offer" contract on its drivers union to allow both sides to review and vote on a compromise hammered out the past four days in Washington, D.C.

The move gives Local 85, Amalgamated Transit Union, the opportunity to present terms to its 2,300 operators, mechanics, hourly support personnel and first-level supervisors.

Union leaders are planning to hold membership meetings early next month. Then the authority board is to call a special ratification meeting.

Meanwhile, Local 85 will work under terms of the previous contract that expired June 30.

Transit service for daily ridership that has reached 240,000 is to continue operating as usual.

The terms were negotiated at the International AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, along with the International ATU, Local 85's parent organization.

Terms of the tentative contract were being kept a secret consistent with the "news blackout" imposed during high-level talks that began Saturday morning and didn't conclude until early last night.

After today's board meeting, authority Chief Executive Officer Steve Bland said, "Everyone's relieved we have a tentative contract and will have no disruption of service."

Asked how the authority and union leaders were able to accomplish in Washington what they were unable to accomplish in more than a year of negotiations in Pittsburgh, he said: "Hard work and lots of coffee."