The return to work of New York City's transit workers may indicate that a deal between their union and the city is near. Faced with growing public scorn and with the union in a perilous position, a signal was given to the mayor that if the transportation authority relaxed its demands involving pensions - the issue at the heart of the contract dispute - the transit workers would be willing to bargain over workers' making payments toward their health benefits. It is yet to be seen whether a deal is reached, though positive signs have been shown.
See "From Back-Channel Contacts, Blueprint for a Deal", Sewell Chan and Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, December 22, 2005