SAO PAULO, Brazil — Sao Paulo, Brazil’s economic powerhouse and South America’s largest city, was immersed in traffic chaos Wednesday over a subway workers’ strike to demand higher wages.

According to traffic authorities, the strike — which affected 4 million to 5 million subway users — caused a record morning traffic jam which totaled 155 miles on different roads in the region. The all-time record in Sao Paulo, 182 miles, was set during the evening rush hour in 2009.

The strike was called late Tuesday, after trade union delegates and Sao Paulo state subway officials failed to come to an agreement. Workers demand that their weekly working hours be reduced from 40 to 36, along with a 30 percent raise. Managers so far have offered a raise below 5 percent, which the trade union rejected.