Talks resume to end Phoenix area bus strike PHOENIX (Reuters) - Striking bus drivers and management in the Phoenix area resumed talks late on Thursday to end a strike that left some 57,000 weekday commuters scrambling to find rides to work during the morning rush hour. The strike over pay and conditions shut down about 40 bus routes on Thursday including ones that serve the cities of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and Tempe and others that reach Phoenix and Scottsdale. Most bus routes were operating in Phoenix itself, which is served by a different company than First Transit, and the light rail system for the Phoenix Valley was not idled. Union leaders said the main sticking points were the company's attempt to gain greater control over workplace conditions and its ability to fire employees. Other areas of dispute include the firm's attempt to increase workers' healthcare contributions. First Transit said talks to end the strike resumed on Thursday, and progress had been made. The firm said it had offered employees guaranteed salary increases ranging from 7 to 50 percent over three years, as well as healthcare concessions, although no settlement had been reached by late evening. Valley Metro urged commuters to consider alternatives such as car-pooling or working from home and urged patience from its riders. Spokeswoman Susan Tierney said there have been discussions about implementing a skeleton service for affected riders, but that no decision has yet been made. "We continue to look at a contingency plan," she said. We do hope that this agreement can be finalized soon so we can get back to our regularly scheduled service. Additional reporting by Tim Gaynor, editing by Patrick Graham