Although details were withheld about the deal brokered this week averting a work stoppage by the Port Authority's bus and trolley drivers, the proposed contract is expected to free up a key piece of funding that was frozen by County Executive Dan Onorato.

One year ago, Mr. Onorato said he would withhold the county's share of funding to the Port Authority, nearly $28 million, unless the authority and the union representing drivers found a way to reduce labor costs, particularly pensions and other so-called legacy issues.

Yesterday, Mr. Onorato was cautiously optimistic that the tentative agreement will achieve the necessary cost savings.

"They got a tentative -- and I stress tentative -- agreement which I believe will address some of the long-term issues we've been talking about," he said. "The long-term legacy costs are going to be dealt with."

Assuming the union ratifies the agreement and the authority board approves it, he said he will release the county's share of $27.7 million, which was generated by a 10 percent tax on drinks and a car rental tax.

The county share is critical because the Port Authority needs it to receive state matching funds of slightly more than $180 million. The Port Authority's operating budget is about $350 million.

Mr. Onorato congratulated both sides for "seriously dealing with this issue" and recognizing the authority's long-term financial problems.

It took some of the nation's top labor leaders to temper emotions and forge the tentative contract agreement, which was reached during a series of closed-door meetings in Washington, D.C.

After four days, authority representatives and officials of Local 85 of the Amalgamated Transit Union were able to reach a compromise at the AFL-CIO headquarters, a deal they were unable to achieve in Pittsburgh during more than a year of bargaining.

The primary catalysts were Warren George, a former authority employee and Local 85 officer who is now international ATU president, and Richard Trumka, a Greene County native and former United Mine Workers union leader who is secretary-treasurer of the international AFL-CIO.

Also stepping into the meetings and encouraging settlement were international AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and United Steelworkers of America President Leo Gerard.

Details of the tentative contract were being kept secret because it still must be ratified by members of Local 85, which represents 2,300 bus-trolley operators, mechanics, other hourly personnel and low-level supervisors.

Local 85 officials were trying to arrange a membership meeting and vote for Dec. 7.

The authority board is scheduled to meet a few days later.

Meanwhile, the authority yesterday formally deferred a contract that was to be imposed Dec. 1 because of the breakthrough in Washington.

Union members will continue to work under terms of the previous contract that expired at midnight June 30 until a new contract is approved.

Authority Chief Executive Officer Steve Bland had only a few hours of sleep after driving back from the capital with management's chief negotiator, attorney Michael Palombo of the Pittsburgh law firm Campbell Durrant Beatty Palombo & Miller.

He characterized the four days of meetings as essentially "around-the-clock bargaining" that involved "hard work and lots of coffee."

"The involvement of the AFL-CIO hierarchy was very beneficial," he said.

"We're optimistic it will be ratified [but] it's not appropriate to go into a lot of detail at this point."

The meetings and negotiations were described as being conducted under a "news blackout" and with "shuttle diplomacy," largely with authority representatives in one room and Local 85 representatives in another room.

Top brass from the major unions were interested in the outcome because if the authority unilaterally imposed a contract of its own making on Local 85, and if it were upheld legally, it could have national ramifications.

Additionally, Mr. George of the ATU had a personal interest in seeing the contract resolved without a work stoppage.

People in Allegheny County seemed grateful.

The Pennsylvania League of Young Voters had spent the last several days talking to more than 400 people who would have been cut off from work, school, family and medical care in the event of a transit stoppage.

"We're extraordinarily pleased to see that cooler heads prevailed on all sides," said Mac Brooker, the league's Western Pennsylvania field coordinator. "A work stoppage could have meant very hard times for a lot of people who rely on buses and trolleys. The authority and ATU are to be commended for keeping the people in mind and keeping transit running."

Authority ridership has been on a steady climb, and a service disruption would have affected patrons who take 240,000 trips on a typical weekday.

"As a rider of both buses and ACCESS, I couldn't be happier," said John Tague of Greenfield.

"I'm grateful to the AFL-CIO and ATU for using their influence to broker a deal, and to Steve [Bland] and Pat [McMahon] for agreeing to go to D.C. and get this done."

Mr. McMahon is president-business agent of Local 85, the union's bargaining agent. He was in Washington with Local 85's long-time labor counsel, attorney Joseph J. Pass, mainly to protect health care, pension and other benefits gained in past contracts.

"The most important next step is to get the contract in place," said Audrey Waldock of Edgewood, a former member of the Allegheny County Transit Council.

"As a member of the riding public, now my life won't get turned upside down."