New York City's Transportation Workers Union has been found in contempt of court and fined one-million dollars a day by conducting a work stoppage that has stranded New Yorkers as the holiday season begins.
A State Supreme Court justice Tuesday leveled the sanction against the union after workers walked off the job early Tuesday. The union has vowed to appeal the judge's decision, calling it an excessive fine.
Meanwhile, the mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, says the city is functioning well and the city's contingency plan is working.
Talks between the city and the Transport Workers Union, representing some 33,000 employees, have deadlocked over issues including wage increases and pension payments.
New York's subway is one of the busiest in the world, carrying about 1.4 billion riders a year. The city's last transit strike in 1980 lasted 11 days. City officials estimate a strike may cost the city $400 million a day.
