Thousands of disabled New Yorkers could be left stranded today if Access-A-Ride operators and a local union fail to settle a contract dispute by last night’s 3 a.m. deadline.

Transportation services for about 200,000 disabled New Yorkers are contracted out by the MTA to 14 companies that operate a fleet of vans. The four largest companies — Transit Facility Management, MV Transportation, Maggie’s Paratransit, and Atlantic Paratransit — provide half of the Access-A-Ride service vans. The companies and the union that represents the Access-A-Ride workers, the local Amalgamated Transit Union, have failed to agree on a new contract because of disputes over health benefits, wages, sick days, and vacation time.

On the steps of City Hall, a coalition of van drivers, Members for Change, broke ranks yesterday with the union and called for a five-day “cooling off” period to avoid a strike. Organizers called for the MTA, Mayor Bloomberg, and Governor Spitzer to get involved in the negotiations.

A spokesman for the MTA said it would not negotiate in this “private labor dispute,” but that it plans to provide transport services for the disabled if Access-A-Ride operators go on strike. A spokesman for one of the van operators would not comment on the labor negotiations.

The executive director of the Disabled Riders Coalition, Michael Harris, said a strike would cost disabled people their freedom and livelihood. “We shouldn’t be punished because management won’t step up to the plate,” Mr. Harris said.