After five years of occasionally hostile negotiations, NJ Transit and its rail unions will meet on March 4 at the National Mediation Board in Washington, D.C., both sides confirmed Friday. The gathering is one last attempt to avert a strike that could cripple transportation across the region’s.

“The National Mediation Board called a meeting, and NJT will attend,” said Nancy Snyder, a spokeswoman for NJ Transit.

The sides remain far apart. From the unions’ perspective, NJ Transit’s offer of a modest wage increase would be wiped out by significantly higher health insurance costs for workers.

Read the complete story NJ Transit.