Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
The Long Island Rail Road shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday after a group of unions failed to reach a new contract deal with the MTA and went on strike, bringing service on the country’s busiest commuter rail service to a halt for the first time in over 30 years, according to Gothamist.
The MTA and five unions representing a majority of the LIRR’s workforce couldn’t come to an agreement over pay raises and changes to work rules before the midnight strike deadline. Kevin Sexton, national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said in a late-night press conference that no new round of talks had yet been scheduled. “We’re far apart at this point and we feel it’s unnecessary because we went through the process,” he said.
A Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers union spokesperson told Gothamist they didn’t expect the parties to return to negotiations Saturday. As long as the strike continues, some 275,000 daily commuters who use the railroad will need to find alternative transportation options.
If the strike continues into Monday, the MTA plans to deploy limited shuttle bus service for commuters to connect to the city’s subway stations, with officials estimating the alternative service would cost as much as $550,000 daily. At the Bay Shore, Hicksville and Mineola LIRR stations, shuttles will take commuters to the Howard Beach-JFK A train station. At the Huntington and Ronkonkoma LIRR stations, shuttles will take commuters to the Jamaica-179th St. F train station.
At Atlantic Terminal in Downtown Brooklyn early Saturday, MTA workers were handing out info cards about the shuttle buses and advising commuters about the strike, while a few dozen picketers gathered outside. Feiona Harris, planning to commute to Shirley in Suffolk County, said she only found out about the strike that morning and worried about the cost of alternatives. “Uber is going to be very expensive,” Harris said. “I can’t afford it.”
Location & Road Context
The strike affects the entire LIRR system, which serves Long Island communities from Manhattan’s Penn Station to the eastern reaches of Suffolk County. The New York State Department of Transportation is preparing mitigation measures in anticipation of busier roads on Long Island, including electronic message signs on highways warning drivers to plan ahead and deploying additional tow trucks, highway maintenance staff and traffic signal technicians.
Commuters in Nassau County can also use NICE bus services to get to the Flushing-Main St. station to ride the 7 train or the Jamaica Bus Terminal in Queens. The MTA and Gov. Kathy Hochul are encouraging businesses and employees to work from home if possible.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
In the lead-up to the strike, MTA officials said they were in agreement with the unions on pay bumps for the first three years of a four-year contract, but there was a stalemate on pay for the final year. MTA Chair Janno Lieber said the MTA had proposed for new LIRR workers to pay “reasonable portion of healthcare costs” — about half of what an average New York state worker pays toward healthcare.
Broader Impact
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli estimated Friday a strike would cost up to $61 million in lost economic activity each day. The last LIRR strike occurred in 1994 and lasted two days, while an NJ Transit strike last year lasted three days. At an MTA board meeting in April, agency officials said the MTA would likely have to hike fares by 8% and cut jobs to avoid a deficit if it gave the union the pay bump it was requesting.