Today is the first day of a partial strike by two private bus lines that were recently acquired by the Metropolitan Transit Association (MTA). The two bus lines, Jamaica and Triboro bus lines, run through Queens, which is populated by 551,004 Latinos according to 2000 Census figures. Workers of the two lines have been working without a contract for about three years. The partial strike began because the lines are not officially under the MTA umbrella they are not subject to the high fines under New York State’s Taylor Law. The negotiations between the Transit Worker’s Union (TWU) and MTA continue today but if an agreement is not reached by midnight (EST) tonight, the entire public transport system including subways is set to go on strike.

Via / NY1