Negotiations at the Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall ended shortly after 2 a.m. today after more than 15 hours of bargaining between officials with O'ahu Transit Services, which operates TheBus on contract with the city, and the Hawai'i Teamsters and Allied Workers Local 996, which represents more than 1,300 striking workers.

This is the 31st day of the bus drivers’ strike, an increasingly bitter labor dispute that has stranded riders, snarled traffic and frayed tempers throughout the city. Verbal battles among union leaders, bus management and Mayor Jeremy Harris have escalated and spilled onto morning radio shows.

The negotiations ended when union officials said they will recommend that employees accept management's "last, best and final offer."

Details of the contract were not released, pending the union’s informational meeting and ratification vote scheduled for Saturday. But union officials today said there are no wage increases for the first three years of the five-year contract, but there are in the last two.

Bus mechanic Ben Asato, who has been a bus worker for 24 years, said the five-year contract offer has some benefits and probably will be accepted by members. But Asato, who is on the negotiation team, felt that the talks had been difficult for months.

"We’re willing to accept this proposal because we want everybody back to work," Asato said.

In a written statement released this morning, Harris said the city is still reviewing the temporary agreement but "pleased there will be no salary increases for the first three years."

Harris, whose term expires next year, is prohibited by term limits from running again and will have left by the time those raises would begin. "I have said all along that I will not support wage increases for bus workers while I’m mayor."

The strike forced O'ahu commuters — bus riders and motorists alike — to rethink their daily transportation routines. Traffic has been heavier during the strike, congestion has lengthened, but residents adjusted and the idling of the buses never created the gridlock that many had feared would happen.

Palama resident David Bohn, 61, said he plans to resume riding the bus when it starts operating again. "I will continue to ride the bus," he said. As for the tentative settlement, Bohn said, "I think the bus drivers are really overpaid." Bus drivers do not have to contribute to the cost of their medical insurance, which most other employees do not enjoy, he pointed out. "This is extra pay for the bus drivers."

Bohn expects that when service resumes, "There’s going to be a lot of people grumbling. The drivers, their image is really bad right now."

He thinks that after a second fare increase, some riders may not come back, pointing to a 23 percent drop in ridership after fares were raised to $1.75.

Kane'ohe bus rider Geri Mahelona was relaxing at Zippy’s on Vineyard Boulevard with a friend who had given her a ride into town this morning. Leaning on friends for transportation has been hard, she said, especially since she needs to make frequent medical appointments to monitor the medication she takes.

"I had to cancel once, and they got pretty upset with me," Mahelona said. "I have neighbors who take me, but I don’t want to rely on the neighbors too much because then I have to go when they do. They gave me a ride to Kaiser (clinic), and then I had to walk home.

Mahelona said she’d be glad when the bus drivers are back at work.

The mood on the picket line at the main bus yard this morning was upbeat although the crowd was a little smaller than other days. Bus driver Sivanu Maulupe said it was clear from the start of talks yesterday that the mood was more positive on both sides.

"A lot of us felt real good," he said. Maulupe, who has been a bus driver for 14 years, said that the bus workers felt that their requests were fair. "We’re not here to rob the bank. We’re here for a fair contract."

Ratification would end a strike that began shortly after midnight on Aug. 26 when workers hit the picket lines seeking to stave off layoffs and a threatened loss in benefits, and, as the weeks went by, higher wages and benefits.

The union is required by labor law to present the company’s last, best and final offer to its membership.

Mel Kahele, local Teamsters president, said the proposal will go to the membership with the recommendation of the bargaining committee. "I hope they vote with their conscience and not because somebody tells them to vote a 'yes’ or 'no,’ " Kahele said.

The union’s 30-plus negotiating committee spent about 40 minutes mulling over the final offer before making its recommendation. Kahele made his announcement to reporters at 2:07 a.m.

"We’ve got no layoffs for five years, there are no cutbacks in benefits," Kahele said. "The increases that the company put on their last and final offer in wages and pension, we are going to go out there and let the members vote on it."

Jim Santangelo, a vice president for the parent International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said union leaders were not completely satisfied with the final offer made by the company. "It’s never enough money," Santangelo said. "Are we happy? Of course not, we’re not happy. But the people are going to make that decision and that’s where it’s at."

Kahele would give no details of the contract aside from the fact that the proposal includes wage and pension benefit increases. "It’s the biggest increase that we’ve seen since we started negotiating in April," he said. "It’s a hell of a lot more than what the company had three days ago." That previous company proposal called for a wage and benefit freeze in the first three years, with minimal wage increases in the fourth and fifth years.

The union’s position, going into yesterday’s talks, conceded a freeze on wage and benefits the first year but sought increases in the remaining four years.

Perry Confalone, chief negotiator for the company, said management was pleased with the union bargaining team’s decision to recommend approval of the contract. "We look forward to having all of the employees back to work and service up and running as quickly as possible."

Confalone said both sides made concessions but that the company was happy to meet its goal. "We feel it does achieve significant cost savings, which was one of our principal cost objectives. It’s in the best interest, not only of employees, but also of ridership, and the community in general, in terms of the long-term costs and so we’re pleased with that."

Confalone said he was confident the membership would ratify the contract. "Everyone’s had enough of strikes, and the people want to get back to work and we want to get people back to work and bring an end to this chapter," he said.

Kahele said an informational meeting will take place Saturday at the union’s Hart Street headquarters beginning at 9 a.m. The ratification vote will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. that day.

Picket lines will stay in place until a contract is ratified, Kahele said. "Hopefully, on Saturday, at 5 o’clock, when we close the polls, we’ll shut down the picket lines in the event that it’s ratified. If not, we’ll continue to picket."

Confalone said he does not expect the company to provide new offers if the contract is not ratified Saturday. Asked what would happen if the contract is rejected, Confalone said the company cannot terminate the employees.

Roger Morton, OTS vice president and chief of operations, said that the company would aim to be in full service by Monday, if not Sunday, assuming the contract is ratified on Saturday.

"We’ll have more details as we huddle together and figure out what we can do," Morton said.