transit strike

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How a Philly Transit Strike Could Affect the Election

Workers walked out just after midnight Tuesday

(Newser) - Transit workers went on strike early Tuesday in Philadelphia, shutting down bus, trolley, and subway services that provide about 900,000 rides a day and raising fears a prolonged walkout could keep some voters from the polls on Election Day. A union representing about 4,700 workers went on strike...

Philly Transit Strike May Mean Rush-Hour Misery

More than a dozen lines are idled in contract impasse

(Newser) - About 400 workers at a Philadelphia-area regional rail system went on strike this morning, shutting down 13 train lines that carry commuters to the suburbs and Philadelphia International Airport. The strike began after negotiations between the Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and two unions failed to reach a new contract deal....

Under Shadow of 2 Deaths, BART Goes Back to Work

'This has got to be the last time that this happens,' says Gavin Newsom

(Newser) - After four days of massive traffic jams and overcrowded buses and ferries, Bay Area Rapid Transit and its two biggest unions have reached a deal that will bring the rail strike to an end, reports the San Francisco Chronicle . "This offer is more than we wanted to pay, but...

Amid Strike, SF Train Kills 2 Workers

Employees were inspecting tracks; train was on auto

(Newser) - A San Francisco Bay Area commuter train returning from routine maintenance struck and killed two workers who were inspecting the tracks yesterday afternoon—an accident that comes amid a strike that has shut the Bay Area Rapid Transit system down for the past few days. The four-car train was being...

Aussie Court Ends Qantas Strike, Grounding

Airline ordered back to the skies after 14-hour hearing

(Newser) - An Australian court has ended the Qantas Airways standoff that abruptly grounded the entire fleet yesterday, as tens of thousands of stranded passengers scrambled to find rides. After 14 hours of testimony, which included government arguments that forcing the airline back into operation was in Australia's best economic interests,...

Commuters Down the Tube as Strike Hits London

Underground out of service, but strikers have little support

(Newser) - London commuters faced a trial to get to work today as a subway strike pushed millions onto buses, bikes, and boats. The 48-hour strike began last night after talks broke down with one of the Tube's unions over disciplinary measures against two train drivers. Some lines are running irregularly, however,...

Strike Cripples German Airports
Strike Cripples German Airports

Strike Cripples German Airports

Scores of flights canceled; Berlin transport also shut

(Newser) - Thousands of German airport workers have walked off the job on the first day of a strike, leading to hundreds of flight cancellations across Europe's largest country. Frankfurt International Airport, a key European hub, was picketed by more than 2,000 employees from baggage handlers to check-in counter workers and...

Crippling French Rail Strike Ends
Crippling French Rail Strike Ends

Crippling French Rail Strike Ends

Service resumes after 9 days

(Newser) - The 9-day French rail strike that left thousands of commuters stranded ended today with a whimper, reports the New York Times. All but 2% of the striking transit workers returned to work, and government and transit officials promised reimbursements for commuters inconvenienced by the unpopular action. "Commuters can take...

Sabotage Cripples French Trains
Sabotage Cripples French Trains

Sabotage Cripples French Trains

Negotiations reopen, but fires, cable damage shut down network

(Newser) - France's transit strike turned ugly in its second week, as widespread sabotage to the country's high-speed rail network created huge delays to already crippled services. The Financial Times reports that while the majority of railway workers are now back on the job pending negotiations, fires and damaged cables have prevented...

Sarko: 'No Surrender' to Strikers
Sarko: 'No Surrender' to Strikers

Sarko: 'No Surrender' to Strikers

French prez vows his reforms will not stop

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy, in his first public comments on the matter, said today he will not back down from pension reform in the face of a week-long transit strike, the AP reports. "France needs reforms to meet the challenges imposed on it by the world," he said as he...

Civil Servants Join French Strikes
Civil Servants Join French Strikes

Civil Servants Join French Strikes

Hundreds of thousands participate in one-day work action

(Newser) - As the transit strike in France entered its seventh day today, hundreds of thousands of civil servants staged a one-day strike of their own to protest job cuts and demand pay increases. The walkout by teachers, nurses, air-traffic controllers and others further paralyzed the nation and increased pressure on President...

Strikes Hit German Commuters
Strikes Hit German Commuters

Strikes Hit German Commuters

Train worker walk out in third day; negotiations at a standstill

(Newser) - France isn't the only country suffering a railway strike this week. In Germany, millions of commuters are stranded as a dispute over pay hikes enters its third day. The strike, which began on freight services, has now expanded to commuter trains, reports the Telegraph. It's the most serious strike in...

Transit Strike Infuriates French
Transit Strike Infuriates French

Transit Strike Infuriates French

Sarkozy gamble may pay off as waits out unpopular strike

(Newser) - Anti-union sentiment rose as France's deeply unpopular transit strike entered its second day today, with most service on the national railways and the Paris metro  suspended. Evidence  is mounting, Reuters reports, that Nicolas Sarkozy will win this round, with union leaders already hinting at compromise, though they have not yet...

Transit Strike Cripples France
Transit Strike Cripples France

Transit Strike Cripples France

Unions seek exit from huge work action

(Newser) - In France, the biggest strike since Nicolas Sarkozy's election paralyzed transportation services from national rail to the Paris metro today. Massive traffic jams, long waits for the few subway trains running, and fleets of bicycles were in evidence in the first day of what is seen as a critical showdown...

French Support for Strike Wanes on Day 2

Gov't won't budge; unions vow to return to normal tomorrow

(Newser) - French union leaders hailed yesterday's transit strike as a major success, with 75% participation, AFP reports, and many smaller unions were still holding out today. But the government won't budge on proposed pension reform, and public support waned as commuters faced a second day of the job action and tomorrow's...

Sarkozy, Wife Confirm Split
Sarkozy, Wife Confirm Split

Sarkozy, Wife Confirm Split

First couple confirms split as transit strike grinds France to halt

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy's office confirmed that he and his indomitable wife Cecilia are separating even as transit strikers railing against his economic reforms have idled France—handing the bombastic French president a bad day, indeed. The 1-2 punch ends months of speculation about the collapse of the 11-year marriage, and provides...

Critics of Blunt, Scattered Sarkozy Pile On

Crucial strike looms as discontent with the hyperpresident mounts

(Newser) - Railing against Nicolas Sarkozy's pension reform, France is bracing for a punishing transit strike tomorrow as hordes of foreigners descend for the Rugby World Cup finals. It's only the latest setback for the new president and his broad-sweeping modernizing campaign, leading the New York Times to ask if the Sarkozy...

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