"New Yorkers are no strangers to transit drama, but this one could be especially brutal: The Long Island Rail Road may be headed for its first strike in more than 30 years. With five unions threatening to walk off the job, 300,000 daily riders could be left scrambling for buses, carpools and patience. Politicians are already pointing fingers, riders are bracing for impact, and the MTA is quietly sketching out backup plans. Here's what we know right now."
"Five unions representing roughly half of LIRR's 7,000 workers are threatening to walk out after contract talks with the MTA collapsed. Engineers, ticket clerks and other frontline staff say their wages haven't kept pace with New York's cost of living. Governor Kathy Hochul blames the Trump administration for ending federal mediation too early, while MTA CEO Janno Lieber insists LIRR workers are already the highest-paid railroad employees in the nation. Riders, unsurprisingly, are caught in the middle."
Five unions representing roughly half of LIRR's 7,000 workers are threatening to walk out after contract talks with the MTA collapsed. The earliest legal strike date is Thursday, September 18, following a federally mandated cooling-off period and an authorization vote that concludes Monday. Unions rejected a 9.5 percent raise over three years and seek a 16 percent increase, citing inflation and lagging wages; the MTA counters that engineers average about $160,000 annually with overtime and resists higher taxpayer costs. About 300,000 daily riders could face bus substitutions, carpools, and other disruptions while the MTA develops contingency plans.
Read at Time Out New York
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