A toll collectors’ strike may yet be avoided on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Pennsylvania Turnpike officials announced earlier this week that they planned to meet with representatives of the toll collectors and other workers Tuesday, Nov. 9, to try to reach an agreement.

Turnpike officials said talks with the Teamsters union – which represents the toll takers and maintenance workers – broke down in late October. The Teamsters informed state officials that the union would reserve the right to call a strike at any time after that point without notice.

The strike could include roughly 2,000 workers, including toll collectors and maintenance workers. The contract expired Sept. 30, 2003, but union workers have worked under its terms more than a year since while negotiations continued.

Joseph Brimmeier, CEO of the Turnpike, said the agency is ready to run the road should a strike occur. Non-union employees are on standby.

Turnpike officials have said that in the event of a strike, passenger vehicles would pay a flat toll of $2, and trucks would pay a flat toll of $15, regardless of the distance they travel on the road. E-ZPass customers whose fares would normally be less than those amounts will pay the smaller of the two charges.

Turnpike Chief Executive Officer Joe Brimmeier said in a written statement that he does not anticipate a strike between now and next week because the new bargaining sessions had been scheduled.