The Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) and three of its five unions representing nearly 2,700 employees have reached a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract that meets BART's goal to save $100 million in labor costs.

"I am pleased that a tentative agreement has been reached in the BART contract negotiations this morning without any job actions. The long hours of negotiating proved successful and have shown the great cooperation between BART and its unions during this process," said Labor and Workforce Development Agency Acting Secretary Doug Hoffner in a statement. "This agreement avoids any impact on the daily commute and allows the transit system to continue to provide its valuable services to the Bay Area. I would also like to recognize the tremendous efforts of our state mediators in helping both sides reach this agreement. BART employees and management should be proud of their hard work and the successful outcome it has achieved."

The tentative agreement must be ratified by members of all three unions along with the BART board of directors before it takes effect. In general, the agreement preserves base salaries, caps benefit costs and reforms work rules to make BART run more efficiently.

BART is working to eliminate an estimated $310 million four-year deficit amid a decline in ridership, state transit funding and sales tax revenue. BART will continue to negotiate with its two police unions, which, by law, cannot strike.