Extension Averts San Francisco Transit Strike

Last-minute agreement

A last-minute overnight agreement to extend labor negotiations averted a shutdown of Bay Area commuter rail service Friday morning.

Riders who use the Bay Area Rapid Transit system had been warned of a possibly shutdown on Friday as a cooling-off period requested by Gov. Jerry Brown and approved by a judge, set to expire at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, approached without a deal.

In a statement issued Friday morning, BART spokesman Rick Rise said both sides had agreed to extend talks through Sunday night.