US Federal Labor Officials Urge Resumption of Talks to End Commuter Rail Shutdown

Long Island Rail Road Strike Looms as Federal Officials Urge Unions to Resume Bargaining

New York — Federal officials have implored unions representing workers for the Long Island Rail Road, North America's largest commuter rail system, to resume bargaining on Sunday to prevent a long strike from disrupting the week's commute.

The unions, which include the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the Transportation Communications Union, have been negotiating with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for months on a new contract. Talks have stalled over the question of workers' salaries and healthcare premiums. The railroad closed down and workers went on strike at 12:01 a.m. Saturday after five unions representing about half its workforce walked off the job for the first time in three decades.

The Long Island Rail Road serves hundreds of thousands of commuters who live along a 118-mile-long land mass that includes Brooklyn and Queens in New York City and the Hamptons, a summertime playground for the rich and famous near its eastern tip. Most of its riders live outside New York City in two counties populated by nearly three million people.

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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, appearing with the chief executive of the MTA, urged the unions to try to reach a deal as the walkout entered its second day. She offered to provide refreshments and emphasized that no one wins in a strike, with everyone being hurt.

"We all know that the railroad is the lifeblood of Long Island. Without it, life as we know it is simply not possible," Hochul said. "The bottom line is, no one wins in a strike. Everyone is hurt."

The unions have said that workers are not asking for special treatment, but are fighting to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of living in the New York region after years without a raise. The railroad's workers have been without a raise for years, and the unions are seeking more substantial raises to help workers keep up with inflation and rising living costs.

Comparison of Union Proposals and MTA's Budget

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The MTA has said that the unions' proposals would "blow up the MTA's budget" and would result in large fare increases and be disproportionate to what other unionized workers are paid.

The impact of the walkout has fallen on many sports fans who wanted to see the Yankees and Mets battle or the Knicks' playoff run at Madison Square Garden, which is located directly above the railroad's Penn Station hub in Manhattan. Would-be commuters were greeted all weekend by train schedule departure boards that listed ghost trains marked "No Passengers" rather than upcoming trains listed by destination.

Hochul has said that essential workers among the roughly 250,000 weekday LIRR riders can take buses into the city from six locations on Long Island starting at 4 a.m. Monday and during an evening rush-hour commute from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. She has also urged companies and agencies that employ workers from Long Island to let them work from home whenever possible.

The MTA has said that the unions' initial demands to raise salaries would result in large fare increases and be disproportionate to what other unionized workers are paid. The unions, which represent locomotive engineers, machinists, signalmen and other train workers, have said more substantial raises were warranted to help workers keep up with inflation and rising living costs.

Strike Timeline

• 12:01 a.m. Saturday: Workers went on strike after five unions representing about half the workforce walked off the job.
• Sunday: Federal officials implored unions to resume bargaining to prevent a long strike from disrupting the week's commute.
• Monday: Essential workers can take buses into the city from six locations on Long Island starting at 4 a.m. and during an evening rush-hour commute from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.