Tentative Agreement In Bus Driver Strike

A tentative contract agreement has been reached that could end a nearly 2-week-long strike by Seattle school bus drivers, a bus company official said Sunday night.

Kevin Mest, Washington state operations supervisor for Laidlaw Transit Co., said the Toronto-based company accepted a proposal from Teamsters Local 763 late Sunday.

Union members are scheduled to meet this morning to vote on ratification of the pact, which lacks the pension plan they have demanded, Mest said. Near-normal operations could resume Wednesday, he said.