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New Yorkers take to the sidewalks after transit strike

Commuters trudged through freezing temperatures, rode bicycles and shared cabs as the largest US mass-transit system was shut down by the first strike in more than 25 years, stranding millions of riders at the height of the Christmas rush and prompting a judge to slap the transit union with a US$1 million-a-day fine.

State Justice Theodore Jones leveled the sanction on Tuesday against the Transport Workers Union for violating a state law that bars public employees from going on strike. The city and state had asked Jones to hit the union with a "very potent fine."

"This is a very, very sad day in the history of labor relations for New York City," the judge said in imposing the fine.

The union said it would immediately appeal, calling the penalty excessive.

The strike over wages and pensions came just five days before Christmas, at a time when the city is especially busy with shoppers and tourists.

The heavy penalty could force the union off the picket lines and back on the job. Under the law, the union's 33,000 members will also lose two days' pay for every day they are on strike, and they could also be thrown in jail.

The courtroom drama came midway through a day in which the walkout fell far short of the all-out chaos that many had feared. With special traffic rules in place, the morning rush came and went without monumental gridlock. Manhattan streets were unusually quiet; some commuters just stayed home.

Buses and subway trains ground to a halt after 3am when the TWU called the strike after a late round of negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority broke down. The mass-transit system provides more than 7 million rides per day.

New Yorkers car-pooled, shared taxis, rode bicycles, roller-skated or walked in the freezing cold. Early morning temperatures were around minus 6oC. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the strike would cost the city as much as US$400 million a day.
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