Free Republic

NEW YORK -- A judge in New York is fining the city's transit workers' union $1 million a day for going on strike. The nation's largest mass transit system endured its first strike in a quarter-century Tuesday, stranding 7 million riders in the December cold as negotiations remained stalled. State Supreme Court Justice Theodore Jones leveled the sanction against the Transport Workers Union for violating state law by going on strike. Attorneys for the city and state had asked Jones to hit the union with a "very potent fine" for ignoring the Taylor Law. Some New York City commuters are...

A New York State judge has fined the TWU $1 million a day for calling an illegal strike, according to WCBS (NY) News. Fine starts accruing today.

For the first time since 1980, the New York City public transit system is completely shut down due to a strike. Transit Workers Union head Roger Toussaint made the announcement shortly after 3:00AM local time. In addition, many commuter railroads shuttling passengers in from the suburbs may be shut down, as sympathetic union workers refuse to cross picket lines. I moved to New York in late 1979, a few months before the last transit strike occurred. Because most New York City residents don't have cars, the preferred method of transportation for strike-stranded city-dwellers was walking. Each weekday, my father picked...

The full weight of the law must swiftly be brought to bear on the Transport Workers Union for having the irresponsible lawlessness to shut down the transportation system that is New York's lifeblood. Gov. Pataki and Mayor Bloomberg must seek severe sanctions against TWU President Roger Toussaint, his treasury and, sadly, the 33,700 workers who were thrown off a cliff by their leaders. Pataki and Bloomberg must ask a judge to: Jail Toussaint and his bull-headed lieutenants. Impose fines on the TWU that double daily and are large enough to bankrupt the union within days. Hit every transit worker who...

1 hour to go. MTA just gave one more offer to the TWU which has rejected the offer. The Union heads are on the way to the Union hall to vote on striking.

Op-Ed Contributor Editors' Note: After this Op-Ed article went to press, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority revised its contract offer. Updated details can be found in this news story. THE Transport Workers Union, representing the city's nearly 34,000 subway and bus workers, is threatening to call a strike this Friday if the Metropolitan Transportation Authority doesn't sign a contract to its liking. Such a strike would be illegal: public employees in New York State are forbidden from walking out on the job. And not only would a strike be illegal, it would be unjustified. The authority is a generous employer by...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2002 PR 323-02 www.nyc.gov MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG ANNOUNCES CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR ILLEGAL STRIKE BY TRANSPORT WORKERS UNION Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg joined by Office of Emergency Management (OEM) Commissioner John T. Odermatt, New York Police Commissioner (NYPD) Raymond W. Kelly, Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Iris Weinshall, New York Fire Department (FDNY) Chief of Department Frank Cruthers, Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) Chair Matthew Daus and Department of Education (DOE) Chancellor Joel Klein outlined the City strike contingency plan in response to a potential illegal work stoppage by the Transport Workers Union (TWU)."A...