NYC transit workers end 3-day strike

NEW YORK -- Transit workers agreed to return to work yesterday, ending a three-day strike that left millions stranded in the nation's largest city.

Facing fines, jail time, and the scorn of commuters, leaders of the union called an end to the strike, which may have cost the city $1 billion in lost revenues and business. The announcement was made shortly after the union's executive board voted to return to work and resume contract negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Transit officials said full bus and subway service should resume by today.

''I am pleased to announce the Local 100 executive board just voted overwhelming to direct transit workers to return to work immediately," said union leader Roger Toussaint.

More than 34,000 members of the Transport Workers Union Local 100 walked off the job Tuesday at the height of the holiday shopping rush after contract talks broke down over pay and pensions.

''I am happy that it's over," said Minerva Guerrero, who lives in Queens and works in Manhattan. ''It's not only hard on the feet. It's been hard on the pocket," said Guerrero, whose daily transportation costs jumped from $4 to $10 during the strike.

On the first day of the strike, Mayor Michael Bloomberg called the union workers thugs and warned that the action could cost the city $400 million a day. Officials now estimate that the three-day strike cost the city $1 billion in police overtime and lost business.

''When the subways and the buses start running again, things will get back to normal and we hope our economy will get back on track," Bloomberg said during an afternoon news conference. ''One thing is clear: This was a big test for this city and I think it passed with flying colors. It wasn't easy, and certainly serious economic harm was inflicted, but we did what we had to do to keep this city running and running safely. Public safety was our first priority and it never was in jeopardy."

There were few strike-related incidents, but Bloomberg said that an off- duty firefighter was critically injured yesterday when he was hit by a bus in midtown as he biked to work.

The mayor did not back down on his harsh criticism of union leadership and continued to say that the strike was illegal. State law prohibits public employees from walking off the job, and on Tuesday a state judge fined the union $1 million for each day of the strike. In addition, workers faced losing two days of pay for each day they remained on strike. Governor George Pataki warned that those fines against union workers would remain.

The transit strike was the city's first in 25 years. While it didn't cause the mass chaos that some city officials had predicted, it did force workers, shoppers, and tourists to find alternate transportation. Thousands of New Yorkers trekked across the Brooklyn Bridge, walking miles to get to work. Some rode bicycles or squeezed into taxicabs with other commuters. Some New Yorkers waited hours in long, snaking lines to catch commuter trains. Some businesses shut their doors because employees couldn't make it to work.

Still, Bloomberg urged New Yorkers and tourists to take advantage of the last shopping days before Christmas.

''On a brighter note, it's a great time of year in New York City. We have a lot of tourists; people are enjoying our great Broadway shows. Christmas is on Sunday, and there's still plenty of time for people to shop, see the tree at Rockefeller Center, ice-skate in Central Park, and enjoy the holiday season here in the greatest city in the world," he said.

Rich Abel, a Staten Island resident who works for a movie production company in Manhattan, said he has been driving co-workers to work during the strike.

''No more carpooling," he said. ''Everybody in our office was carpooling and picking up co-workers," Abel said.

An hour after union officials announced the end of the strike, Adam Spielberg, 28, said he hoped he wouldn't have to ride his bicycle to work anymore. A resident of Brooklyn, Spielberg pedaled to work everyday, braving chilly weather and harsh winds.

''I'm thrilled," he said. ''During the day it was nice," he said. ''But at night it was awful -- cold and unpleasant."

Material from the Associated Press was used for this report.