LIRR strike moves forward after talks collapse

The shuttle service will be able to accommodate only about 13,000 riders, according to the MTA. The Long Island Railroad is a subsidiary of the MTA.

Union leaders spoke to reporters outside the MTA’s Manhattan offices at midnight calling the walkout a “management provoked strike” and saying another round of negotiations had yet to be scheduled.

“It became apparent that these unions always intended to strike,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said.

The breakdown follows days of high-stakes bargaining that failed to resolve a central dispute over how to structure pay increases in the final year of a new contract. Lieber said the agency had offered unions the wage increases they were seeking for the fourth year, but proposed offsetting the cost by requiring new hires to pay more toward health care — a provision union leaders said had never been raised in prior negotiations.

The last contract expired three years ago and both sides have agreed to retroactive pay for those years — 3 percent, 3 percent and 3.5 percent increases, respectively — but remain at odds on the fourth year of the pending contract, which would begin this summer.

The MTA’s latest proposal, which totals $133.7 million, included a 4.5 percent increase delivered as one-time lump sum payments for that fourth year. Labor officials contend one-time payments would leave workers financially vulnerable in future years — particularly if the next contract is delayed — effectively allowing wages to dip.

On Wednesday, MTA chief negotiator Gary Dellaverson said the sides were close, describing the differences as “not unbridgeable” and arguing that “a dollar is a dollar.” Union leaders ultimately dismissed the proposal as insufficient.

The standoff escalated in the final hours of negotiations. A marathon bargaining session Thursday ended with MTA negotiators walking out, according to union officials, who said they were prepared to stay overnight to reach a deal.

Tensions were further inflamed when the MTA met Friday with Transport Workers Union Local 100 — which represents 40,000 subway and bus workers who are also in contract talks — rather than continuing negotiations with the LIRR unions facing the immediate deadline.

John Samuelsen, TWU’s international president, accused the MTA of attempting to “undercut” railroad workers by setting a lower wage pattern elsewhere — something he said he was “never going to allow.”

“There will be a strike tonight, and that is completely the fault of Kathy Hochul,” Samuelson said Friday, referring to Gov. Hochul, who ultimately oversees the MTA.

The state comptroller’s office warned of economic fallout, estimating a strike could cost roughly $61 million per day.

In anticipation of a shutdown, MTA officials rolled out contingency plans Friday evening, telling customers that all train services before midnight would continue to their final destination, even past midnight, as part of an agreement made with the unions. The MTA plans to run limited weekday-only shuttle buses during peak hours to get commuters to and from New York City starting Monday.

On Wednesday, Hochul urged both sides to reach an agreement, warning that a strike would cause widespread disruption to the regional economy. But she also signaled frustration with union demands for higher wage increases, stressing financial constraints and the risk of fare hikes.

“Yes, workers deserve to be paid fairly for their work, but at the same time we must be responsible with public funds and the fares paid by Long Island residents,” the governor told reporters.

The MTA echoed those concerns saying the stakes extend beyond the LIRR. Officials have cautioned that agreeing to higher wage increases could set a costly precedent for other unions, including the 42,000 subway and bus workers currently negotiating their own contracts.