‘Long Island At A Standstill’: LIRR Strike Looms As Unions, MTA Continue Negotiating Contract

LONG ISLAND, NY — 300,000 public transit riders could be without train service next weekend if a deal isn’t reached between the Long Island Rail Road and the unions representing about 3,500 employees, the MTA says.

Unions representing LIRR employees say they’re prepared to strike as early as Saturday, May 16 if an agreement isn’t reached. If such a strike happens, the MTA said, it would force LIRR service to shut down entirely.

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In an April 29 presentation, MTA officials said the unions and the MTA had agreed to retroactive wage increases for the represented workers, giving them a 3 percent raise dated June 2023, another 3 percent raise dated June 2024 and a 3.5 percent raise dated June 2025.

The main point of contention, the MTA said, is 2026 pay. The MTA has proposed a 3 percent increase in pay for 2026, while the unions seek a 5 percent increase in 2026 pay. That 5 percent increase, the MTA said, is consistent with recommendations from a presidential emergency board but isn't in the MTA's budget.

Gil Lang, General Chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) at the Long Island Rail Road, said on April 29 that “the clock is ticking” for the transportation authority.

“We will not agree to a concessionary agreement,” Lang said. “Our members are prepared to strike at the earliest time permitted by law, May 16 at 12:01 a.m…If that happens, let me be clear, this will be a management-created strike. The impact will be felt across this region: Riders stranded, businesses hurt, Long Island at a standstill. And it would’ve been completely avoidable. We’re ready to settle this today, the only thing preventing that is the MTA’s failure to act.”

In those public comments, Lang was speaking on behalf of a five-union coalition that includes the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS), the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the Transportation Communications Union (TCU).

On the MTA’s website, a contingency plan in case of strike has already been unveiled, directing riders to work from home if possible and budget extra time for whatever commutes need to happen.

“The MTA has bargained in good faith with the unions representing LIRR employees. However, some of those unions have rejected a contract that offered 9.5% wage increases over a period of three years, which approximately half of the LIRR workforce has already accepted,” the MTA’s contingency site reads.

On April 29, both the MTA and the unions said they had been trying to negotiate the contract for some time.

"We've been trying to negotiate this for some time, so let's go," MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. "I think we both very much want to get something going, and the suggestion that the MTA has not been willing to negotiate is nonsense."

That suggestion had been made earlier in the day by Lang, who said the MTA had exhibited "no sense of urgency" in negotiating.

“The MTA’s responsibility should be to serve the public and to keep the Long Island Rail Road moving. Instead, since the last meeting that we requested, 40 days have passed. No response. No new bargaining session. No counterproposal. No sense of urgency,” Lang said. “That delay is on the MTA. Rather than working toward a settlement, the MTA is preparing the public for failure — talking about limited bus service and ignoring the gridlock that will paralyze Long Island if the trains stop running. That is not a plan. That is not leadership.”

In the event of a strike, the MTA says there will be limited shuttle bus service on weekdays, with buses running every 10 minutes during peak hours. Those hours, the MTA said, will be from 4:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. for buses toward Manhattan and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. for service to Long Island.

"I think it's clear, a strike is bad for everyone...striking employees don't get paid, and that cost of lost income accumulates quickly," MTA CFO Jai Patel said. "It also implicates hundreds of thousands of riders won't get into the city, like a nanny taking care of a child, a college student starting their internship in May, or someone trying to get to a doctor's appointment. Riders will be frustrated, the local economy will struggle, and trust in our service will erode."