BART strike could still be averted before Monday deadline

(UPI) -- Representatives from the union and Bay Area Rapid Transit management announced a deal to continue negotiations Thursday night, just minutes before a 60-day "cooling off" period was set to expire and send BART workers on strike.

A strike could still happen if union representatives and BART board members fail to reach a deal by midnight Sunday.

Union members said the negotiations would resume at 10 a.m. Friday.

The last strike, in July, lasted more than four days and cost the San Francisco Bay region an estimated $73 million in lost productivity, the Bay Area council said, even though it happened during a holiday week.

Approximately 200,000 people ride on BART each day and would be left without their normal mode of transport.