Judge Issues Injunction Against N.Y. Transit Strike

[Drunk]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A judge issued an injunction to prevent a threatened bus and subway strike on Friday as talks continued to try and avert a walkout that could cripple New York and Mayor Michael Bloomberg bought a new bicycle just in case.

Facing a threat by the 34,000-member Transport Workers Union to walk off the job when their contract expires on Sunday night, Bloomberg said he was optimistic as long as both sides kept talking.

"Hopefully I won't need this, and I can put it under some kid's Christmas tree," the mayor said as he bought a $540 mountain bike at a bicycle shop near City Hall. "But if I have to ride it, I'll ride it."

Bloomberg, who often rides the subway to City Hall, says he will pedal his 94-block commute if a strike occurs.

Seven million people, including half the city's 1.1 million school students, ride the buses and subways each day.

Supreme Court Judge Jules Spodek issued an injunction to prevent a walkout after attorneys for the state-run Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which runs the transit system, argued that it was illegal under the state's Taylor Law, which prohibits strikes by public employees.

Enforcement of the Taylor Law would subject the union to severe penalties if a strike went ahead as threatened at 12:01 a.m. on Monday. The union could be fined $1 million per day, with the fines doubling each day of a strike. Union members could face fines of $25,000, also doubling each day of a strike.

"I don't feel like getting awakened at 12:03 that night and have to sign an order and I don't think practically that's the way to do it," the judge said during Friday's hearing.

UP TO $350 MILLION A DAY

A strike could cost the city between $100 million and $350 million each day and endanger lives if firetrucks and ambulances cannot pass through streets clogged with added automobile traffic, officials say.

"We are going to take every action we can to prevent an illegal strike and seek penalties if there is one and also recover the monies the city has been spending preparing for the threat of an illegal strike," Bloomberg said.

Union lawyer Arthur Schwartz argued an injunction was unnecessary.

"It is not that they (union workers) are going to do something unlawful, but that they won't rule it out. That's all that they have said," the attorney said.

The city has an extensive strike contingency plan, allowing only vehicles with at least four occupants in or out of the city and on its major roads, closing some streets to private cars altogether, adding ferry service and allowing taxis to pick up multiple passengers.

Shopping at Gotham Bikes while the union and MTA negotiated in a midtown hotel, Bloomberg also bought a bicycle lock.

"Although in this city, I'm sure you could just leave your bike out and it would be OK," he deadpanned.

Shop manager John Keoshgerian said he has yet to see a surge in demand for bicycles as the threat of a strike looms.

"I think people are holding their breath," he said. "But we have a lot of bikes ready to go. We're all geared up, so to speak."

New Yorkers last suffered through a transit strike in 1980, when a walkout lasted 11 days.

"New Yorkers will, after a little bit of inconvenience and fuss and everybody pushing and shoving a little bit, New Yorkers will get together. They will carpool, they will walk, they will bicycle," Bloomberg said. "Nobody is going to shut down New York. You can hurt our economy, you can make it annoying and difficult for us, but we will go on."

[Xpander]

Good. Instead of the TWU having to "decide" whether they're going to do anything unlawful, now it won't happen....not without severe fines anyways.