A strike is not immenent even if Metro Transit bus drivers, train operators, mechanics and support staff turn down the latest contract offer.
Members of the Amalgmated Transit Union 1005 began voting Sunday on what's being called the "Best and Final" offer and finish casting ballots at 4 p.m. Monday.
If the 2,200 members reject Metro Transit's offer, union president Michelle Sommers does not see a strike in the forseeable future.
"My hope is that we would go back to the bargaining table," she said. "This is not a strike vote."
Members are voting on a three-year deal that includes a 2 percent pay raise. The offer also deals with provisions regarding health care, but Sommers did not elaborate on what that entails.
Workers have been without a contract since July 2012.
The two sides have been talking for the past several months in an effort to come to an agreement and avoid a strike.
Metro Transit workers last walked off the job in 2004. That strike lasted six weeks.
