NYC transit workers strike

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SUBWAYS and buses ground to a halt yesterday morning in New York as transit workers walked off the job following days of acrimonious labor talks. The walkout threatened to plunge the city into chaos by forcing more than 7 million daily riders to find new ways to get around. Authorities began locking turnstiles and shuttering subway entrances shortly after the Transport Workers Union ordered the strike. The city began bracing for a rush hour filled with disorder. At one subway booth, a handwritten sign read, "Strike in Effect. Station Closed. Happy Holidays!!!!" At Penn Station, an announcement over the loudspeaker told people to "please exit the subway system." Mayor Michael Bloomberg began putting into effect a sweeping emergency plan to reduce gridlock and keep certain streets open for emergency vehicles. It included requiring cars coming into Manhattan below 96th Street to have at least four occupants.