Free Republic

NEW YORK (AP) The union that crippled New York City's transit system last month with a three-day strike has rejected its contract.

He was excoriated on tabloid front pages and by the mayor and governor. As thousands streamed across the Brooklyn Bridge on a frigid night during last week's transit strike, someone in a car yelled out his name, prefacing it with a curse. But now, a day after details of an agreement between the transit workers and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority were spelled out, Roger Toussaint, the union's president, seems to have emerged in a far better position than seemed likely just a few days ago. Mr. Toussaint, whose back appeared to be against the wall last week, can boast of...

New York subway tokens may go way of dodo bird For more than half a century, the New York subway token has been the magic key to pass through the turnstiles and board a train in underground Gotham. But soon it may be a curiosity of the past. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, which operates New York City’s subway and bus systems, is taking a hard look at replacing the token with a fare card. Why? It’s all about saving money. Introduced almost a decade ago, the fare card has become increasingly more popular over the years, and combining that with...

DECEMBER 07, 22:18 ET NY Transit Union OKs Possible Strike NEW YORK (AP) — New York City transit workers have authorized union leaders to call a strike if contract talks with the city fail, union officials said Saturday. The union's executive board could make the decision Dec. 15, when the current contract expires, said union president Roger Toussaint. ``Our members moved a resolution to authorize the executive board of Local 100 to call a strike if all else fails,'' he said. Thousands of the 34,000 union members attended a meeting to vote on the resolution. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said a...