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New York Subway, Buses Back on Track After End of Strike

Posted on: Saturday, 24 December 2005, 09:00 CST

New York subway, buses back on track after end of strike

NEW YORK, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- New York City subway trains are rolling again and buses are back on the streets Friday morning, following the end of a 69-hour transit strike that plunged the city into disarray.

The city's subway stations opened at midnight, with the first trains making their way to each of the system's 468 stops for the first time in three days.

MTA officials said Thursday that management personnel had been monitoring the system's infrastructure during the work stoppage to guarantee the condition of the rails, switches and signals.

Authorities said earlier that all the city's subway trains and city buses would be fully functional for Friday morning's commute.

Bowing to pressure from numerous fronts, including mounting fines and possible jail time, the Transport Workers Union's executive board voted Thursday to end the massive strike that frustrated commuters and tourists over three hectic days.

Although an agreement has not yet been reached between the TWU and the MTA, the union voted by a count of 36-5-2 to send their 34,000 members back to work without a new contract, just three days before Christmas.

The first sign of significant progress toward ending the three- day-old transit strike came early Thursday morning when representatives from the union and the MTA unexpectedly returned to the Midtown Grand Hyatt to meet separately with mediators from the state Public Employment Relations Board.

The breakthrough came at the end of the session when mediators suggested that the MTA drop its pension proposal in exchange for savings in another area, such as health benefits.

"It is on this basis that we have requested the leadership of the TWU direct its membership to immediately return to work, and they have agreed to take such actions," said state mediator Richard Curreri at the conclusion of the talks.

Although the majority of the TWU board voted to return to work, the five union executives who voted to continue the strike said they did so because a deal is still not in place. However, other board members said they believe a contract will be in place next week.

Meanwhile, State Supreme Court Judge Theodore Jones adjourned all legal proceedings Thursday afternoon without hearing the contempt case against TWU President Roger Toussaint and other union leaders. The leaders could face jail time for authorizing the illegal strike which violated the state's Taylor Law. Those court proceedings have now been postponed until January 20, 2006.

Governor George Pataki maintained Thursday that the strike was illegal under the Taylor Law and that the union will be fined for its actions.

"There's a reason for the law," Pataki said at a Thursday afternoon press conference. "The reason is that when there is an illegal strike by essential public employees, it doesn't just devastate our economy, it has enormous negative consequences to the health and the safety of the people in New York and I think there is a lesson to be learned from this. No one is above the law and when you break the law, the consequences are real."

MTA officials said riders who have purchased MetroCards that are good for a specific time period would not be charged for the lost days. Unlimited ride cards will also be extended by three days.

The walkout, which began early Tuesday, was the first citywide transit strike in 25 years.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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