A welcome settlement.

Byline: The Register-Guard

It didn't take long for the Lane Transit District and Local 757 of the Amalgamated Transit Union to realize that both sides were losing in the strike that began a week ago. A settlement was going to be reached sooner or later, and time wasn't on either party's side - giving both labor and management a strong incentive to engage in the marathon negotiations that led to an agreement over the weekend.

The union had strong support from its members, but no bus service meant no paychecks. Strike pay of $100 a week from the union wasn't going to pay the bills, and even those checks weren't due to start coming until after the strike was two weeks old. It wouldn't be long before striking workers would lose more in pay than they could hope to gain from contract concessions.

The strike eliminated LTD's biggest expense, the cost of bus drivers and mechanics, while leaving in place its primary source of operating revenue, the 0.6 percent local payroll tax. Yet the idea that LTD could bank its payroll tax income while being relieved of labor costs was an illusion. Businesses and self-employed people already were beginning to grumble about being taxed for a service they were not receiving. Had the strike continued, LTD managers would have faced a tough choice between hiring replacement drivers to get the buses rolling again, or approving a tax rebate.

In the meantime, workers and management alike watched people in Lane County adjust to life without bus service. There were some cases of genuine hardship and many cases of inconvenience - but most of the district's riders found ways to adapt. It's in LTD's interest to be regarded as a necessity. Neither side stood to benefit from giving riders more time to discover ways of getting around without bus service.

Despite their mutual interest in reaching an agreement, the dispute remained a thorny one, stemming in large part from the national crisis in health care. Steeply escalating health insurance premiums are squeezing employers' ability to maintain current levels of insurance coverage. Until the country finds a way to control health care expenses, insurance will cost more, cover less and soak up resources for increases in wages and other benefits.

But on Saturday LTD's managers and the ATU found a way past the conflicts. On Sunday union members lopsidedly ratified the agreement, and today the buses will be running again. Mediation by Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy and others was helpful, as was both sides' openness to such outside assistance. Hard feelings will linger, but the shorter the strike, the quicker the reconciliation - and now progress toward reconciliation can begin.