Mayor Peter Kelly and head of Metro Transit Eddie Robar left council’s in camera meeting on Thursday to brief the press on the state of the transit negotiations.

Robar said they asked the union to take the deal for a vote by the members and the union’s bargaining team refused early Thursday morning. Ken Wilson, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 508, told Metro on Thursday they’re waiting for Metro Transit to call them back to the table.

Since Robar said they’re staying firm with their request to take it to a vote, there is currently an impasse.

The final offer made by Metro Transit in the early morning hours involved two options: one with rostering and one without. But the option of eliminating the rostering would mean drivers wouldn’t get the same pay increases.

Transit workers were up early Thursday morning picketing at several locations including the bus depot in Ragged Lake and the Dartmouth bus shelter.

Schedules of picketing times and locations were done in advance and many workers are preparing for a drawn out strike.