http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/12/16/D8EHBN383.html
By ELIZABETH LeSURE
Associated Press Writer
Dec 16 8:05 AM US/Eastern
NEW YORK - New York City's transit union called a selective strike against private bus lines Friday, after a night of bargaining failed to produce a deal involving 33,000 subway and bus workers. The strike could eventually extend to the subway system, the union said, but when that could happen was unclear.
"We tried to bargain with the MTA," said Roger Toussaint, president of Transport Workers Union Local 100. "We negotiated well past our contract deadline because we wanted to get a deal done and we still do."
The union had threatened a full strike at 12:01 a.m., when the contract expired. A strike would paralyze the nation's largest transit system at the height of the holiday season. Nearly 7 million people use the transit system each day.
Commuters were relieved to find the subways still running Friday morning. Mayor Michael Bloomberg had warned people to car pool, walk or bicycle to work or telecommute in the event of a strike.
"I didn't sleep too well last night," said Mary Marino, who arrived at Penn Station to connect with two subway trains for her job at a Manhattan nursing home. "I kept turning on the TV to see if they had settled."
The partial strike escalates the pressure on the MTA by starting with two private bus lines that are in the process of being taken over by the transit agency.
The union and the MTA negotiated for nearly six hours before breaking up around 4:30 a.m. In a new offer, the MTA offered a 9 percent raise over three years, an increase from its initial offer of 6 percent over 27 months.
The workers want 8 percent annual raises over three years and contend they should get a share of the MTA's $1 billion surplus. And after the transit bombings in Madrid and London, they also want more terrorism training.
By ELIZABETH LeSURE
Associated Press Writer
Dec 16 8:05 AM US/Eastern
NEW YORK - New York City's transit union called a selective strike against private bus lines Friday, after a night of bargaining failed to produce a deal involving 33,000 subway and bus workers. The strike could eventually extend to the subway system, the union said, but when that could happen was unclear.
"We tried to bargain with the MTA," said Roger Toussaint, president of Transport Workers Union Local 100. "We negotiated well past our contract deadline because we wanted to get a deal done and we still do."
The union had threatened a full strike at 12:01 a.m., when the contract expired. A strike would paralyze the nation's largest transit system at the height of the holiday season. Nearly 7 million people use the transit system each day.
Commuters were relieved to find the subways still running Friday morning. Mayor Michael Bloomberg had warned people to car pool, walk or bicycle to work or telecommute in the event of a strike.
"I didn't sleep too well last night," said Mary Marino, who arrived at Penn Station to connect with two subway trains for her job at a Manhattan nursing home. "I kept turning on the TV to see if they had settled."
The partial strike escalates the pressure on the MTA by starting with two private bus lines that are in the process of being taken over by the transit agency.
The union and the MTA negotiated for nearly six hours before breaking up around 4:30 a.m. In a new offer, the MTA offered a 9 percent raise over three years, an increase from its initial offer of 6 percent over 27 months.
The workers want 8 percent annual raises over three years and contend they should get a share of the MTA's $1 billion surplus. And after the transit bombings in Madrid and London, they also want more terrorism training.
