P.M. BRIEFING : Sweden’s Railway Workers Strike

Swedish railway workers, demanding a $300-a-month pay hike, staged a wildcat strike today that shut down most train service and jammed highways with commuters trying to drive to work.

Managers at Swedish Rail were attempting to keep as many commuter trains in service as possible, but only 10% of the country’s trains were in operation, a spokesman said.

Commuters clogged highways in an attempt to get to work, and a spokesman for the national road service said cars were backed up for miles along the roads to most major cities. Airport officials said three times the regular number of people were trying to book tickets on domestic flights.

The nation’s 3,300 train drivers were striking to press their demands for a $300 per month pay hike and force the Social Democratic government to withdraw plans to increase the pension age from 60 to 65.