Brazilian subway workers in Sao Paulo have gone on strike, halting a system that is used by more than 4 million people a day. The union said that around 8,000 of the 9,000 workers had gone on strike. The workers are asking for a 20% pay increase, while the subway company has offered 7%. The union said that the trains that were running were doing so using non-union workers and managers. A court ruled on Tuesday that workers had to be at their jobs during rush hours, and maintain at least 85% of the workforce the rest of the time. failure to do so leads to a daily $50,000 fine, but the union says that it will not stop the strike.
See "Brazil subway workers go on strike in Sao Paulo", Stan Lehman, Business Week, May 23, 2012