New York City transit strike ends

Faced with mounting fines and the rising wrath of millions of commuters, the city transit union sent its members back to work without a new contract Thursday and ended a crippling, three-day strike that brought subways and buses to a standstill. Union members were told to return to their jobs starting with the evening shift. Buses were expected to be rolling again by evening. And most subways were expected to be running by the Friday morning rush, just two days before Christmas.