BREAKING NEWS:

Orange County buses may be up and running again as early as Monday, as the Orange County Transportation Authority and Teamsters union have reached a tentative agreement after a weeklong strike.

At a news conference Saturday morning at the authority’s headquarters, Chief Executive Officer Art Leahy and Chairwoman Carolyn Cavecche said the two sides had worked out a proposal in which all bus operators would receive wage and benefit increases. The union is expected to vote on the agreement later this weekend, and the authority’s board of directors has scheduled a special meeting Monday morning in hopes of ratifying the package.

If the union and board accept the proposal, Leahy and Cavecche said, all bus routes could be operating again by the end of Monday, although logistics could lead to some delays.

“Nobody wanted this strike,” Cavecche said. “We feel very badly for our riders and for the fact that our operators and their families lost so many dollars over the last week.”

Under the tentative agreement, drivers with five or more years of experience would receive a total 11.25% wage increase over three years, with a 10.5% increase for newer employees. Health and welfare benefits would also increase over that time.

?MICHAEL MILLER may be reached at (714) 966-4617 or at michael.miller@latimes.com.