TWU sets up Web site to collect union dues after judge's ruling

The Transit Workers Union (TWU) has come up with a plan to keep itself afloat after being dealt a financial blow by a judge earlier in the week.
On Monday, a Brooklyn Supreme Court judge sentenced TWU President Roger Toussaint to 10 days in jail, fined the union $2.5 million and revoked the union?s ability to automatically deduct member dues from paychecks. The ruling is a punishment for an illegal three-day strike by union members in December.
Days after the ruling, the TWU set up a Web site in an effort to keep union dues coming. The site allows transit workers to set up an automatic payment schedule using a credit card or bank account. The union will have the opportunity to re-apply for automated dues collection in July.
Meanwhile, the union approved the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) contract offer that it first rejected in January. However, the MTA says that deal is no longer on the table and it is time for binding arbitration.
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