‘Still a long way to go’ toward an agreement, union official says<\/p>\n
Seven hours into a marathon bargaining session between MTA managers and LIRR labor leaders, there\u2019s still \u201ca long way to go\u201d to reach a deal to avert a shutdown of the railroad this Saturday, and reaching a settlement some time Thursday remains \u201cunlikely,\u201d a key union official said.
Emerging from the talks alongside fellow union leaders, Kevin Sexton, national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and a spokesman for the coalition of five unions, said it is \u201cunlikely in my opinion at this point in time\u201d that both sides would close a deal before Friday in the three-year long contract dispute.
\u201cWe\u2019ve been bargaining throughout the day, passing proposals back and forth,\u201d Sexton said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to do everything in our power to reach an agreement, but I cannot guarantee that at this time.\u201d
Speaking shortly after 5 p.m., the union leaders, with rolling suitcases in tow, said they were heading to check into a hotel and would reconvene talks with MTA negotiators at 7 p.m.
\u201cWe\u2019ll stay as long as we can stay. We\u2019re here to work,\u201d Sexton added.
The sticking point in negotiations, Sexton said, remains the MTA\u2019s proposal to provide workers extra pay in the fourth year of a new contract in the form of a lump sum that the MTA has said would be the equivalent of a 4.5% raise.
The unions have held firm that they want increases to their wages, and not a lump sum, which they\u2019ve dismissed as a \u201cgimmick.\u201d
Asked if any progress was made Thursday on the issue, Sexton said \u201cWe\u2019re working toward it slowly. \u2026 Very, very slowly<\/p>\n
32 minutes ago<\/p>\n
By Ted Phillips<\/a><\/p>\n For some, working from home is not option. Neither is the commute.<\/p>\n Alyssa Parker, 35, of Douglaston, usually commutes to Penn Station to her job in ad sales, but rushed to Grand Central Thursday after trains were canceled due to the morning fire at Penn. 58 minutes ago<\/p>\n By Newsday Staff<\/p>\n Unions: No deal likely today By Alfonso A. Castillo<\/a><\/p>\n Union officials denounce MTA memo on probationary workers<\/p>\n MTA officials on Thursday offered a brief response to union accusations that managers are threatening to fire some employees if they go on strike. 8:49 p.m.<\/p>\n By Alfonso A. Castillo<\/a><\/p>\n Marathon negotiating session continues<\/p>\n Six hours into Thursday\u2019s marathon negotiating session between MTA managers and LIRR labor leaders, there was no word of a deal to avert a union strike Saturday. Strike would be a ‘hassle,’ but there’s also support for rail workers<\/p>\n Max Ayala, 23, of Valley Stream, wearing a purple NYU graduation gown, said a strike would be a \u201chassle.\u201d Ayala said he graduated in December with an undergraduate degree in environmental science but walked at the graduation ceremony Thursday. Ayala works at the university doing research on urban parks. Rail strike? Then ‘you kind of roll with the punches’<\/p>\n Mid-afternoon at Grand Central Terminal, and commuters are scanning the electronic board to see when their tracks will be called. 7:55 p.m.<\/p>\n By Matthew Chayes<\/a><\/p>\n Strike likely to hurt businesses at Penn, MSG<\/p>\n Maddie\u2019s Boba Lab, tucked between track stairs in a side corridor of Penn Station, opened just three months ago and is still trying to attract customers, said William Leong, a manager. 7:44 p.m.<\/p>\n By Alfonso A. Castillo<\/a><\/p>\n How to take the bus … to the train station bus<\/p>\n Suffolk commuters will have fewer options than those from Nassau to commute to and from New York City without a car if the LIRR shuts down.<\/p>\n Unlike Nassau\u2019s NICE Bus system, which has several routes linking to subway stations in Queens, Suffolk County Transit buses don\u2019t go into New York City.<\/p>\n And so Suffolk bus riders looking for a connection to Manhattan will have to navigate to the three LIRR stations in the county where shuttle buses will run to and from Queens. Those are Ronkonkoma, Huntington and Bay Shore.<\/p>\n The Huntington station is served by the SC1 bus line, as well as Huntington HART H10 and H20 buses.<\/p>\n Ronkonkoma is served by the SC51, 52A and 52B buses.<\/p>\n And Bay Shore is served by the SC2, 7, 11 and 12 buses.\u00a0<\/p>\n 7:39 p.m.<\/p>\n By Alfonso A. Castillo<\/a><\/p>\n How would service stop? An ‘orderly shutdown’<\/p>\n In the event of a union strike, riders can expect an \u201corderly shutdown\u201d of LIRR service similar to what they saw ahead of February\u2019s historic blizzard, one key MTA official said. 7:24 p.m.<\/p>\n By Matthew Chayes<\/a><\/p>\n ‘It’ll just be mass chaos’<\/p>\n City high school math teacher Bailey Walker, of East Northport, thinks\u00a0\u2014 and hopes \u2014\u00a0that strike threats are all talk,\u00a0that a deal will be reached before midnight Friday into Saturday and there will be no strike. “People won’t be able to get to work. People who can’t work from home won’t be able to go in. It\u2019ll be bad.\u201d<\/p>\n 6:58 p.m.<\/p>\n By Matthew Chayes<\/a><\/p>\n Penn business owner bracing for 40% drop in sales Across from\u00a0Realmuto Alta Pasticceria Italiana in Penn Station, a\u00a0warning flashes\u00a0on a screen:\u00a0\u201cPossible LIRR Strike.\u201d\u00a0 Credit: Newsday\/Matthew Chayes<\/p>\n A red warning triangle surrounding an exclamation point is flashing on a screen just opposite Realmuto Alta Pasticceria Italiana in Penn Station: \u201cPossible LIRR Strike.\u201d<\/p>\n That possibility worries manager Edgar Barrientos, standing among gelato, tiramisu, cannoli and other Italian desserts.<\/p>\n When NJ Transit workers went on strike last year, business went down \u201ca lot,\u201d roughly 20% to 30%, he said, and given the store\u2019s even closer proximity to the LIRR, he\u2019s worried it\u2019ll be even worse if there\u2019s an LIRR strike. Maybe a 40% decrease.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019ll be a big impact. That\u2019s what we run on \u2014 Long Island Rail Road, everyone that commutes here, everyone that comes here,\u201d said Barrientos, 25.<\/p>\n 6:49 p.m.<\/p>\n By Alfonso A. Castillo<\/a><\/p>\n ‘The clock is ticking.’ Union circulating this poster<\/p>\n One of the unions involved in strike negotiations sent this around to members. Credit: The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen<\/p>\n The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, one of the unions involved, has begun circulating this poster to its members.<\/p>\n 6:11 p.m.<\/p>\n By Alfonso A. Castillo<\/a><\/p>\n MTA Board would have to approve any deal between management, union<\/p>\n A handshake agreement between MTA management and LIRR labor leaders won\u2019t be enough to seal a new contract for railroad workers, even if members ratify it.<\/p>\n Like all MTA labor contracts, a tentative agreement would have to eventually be approved by the MTA Board, whose 23 members represent various parts of the MTA service region, including Nassau and Suffolk.<\/p>\n Sammy Chu, of Lindenhurst, who was appointed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, said he and his fellow board members are \u201cvery concerned\u201d about nailing down a contract that the publicly funded MTA can afford.<\/p>\n MTA officials have said paying workers more than they\u2019ve budgeted for could put pressure on the transit authority to further raise fares, reduce service, or cut jobs.<\/p>\n \u201cI am as pro labor as it gets. My entire value system is born from the union movement, but there are a lot of consequences to consider here,\u201d Chu said. \u201cWe worked really hard\u00a0… to get the budget where it needed to be.\u201d<\/p>\n Another complicating factor if a settlement isn\u2019t reached before Saturday\u2019s deadline: the New York Knicks having \u201cthe season of the century.\u201d<\/p>\n The NBA franchise could kick off its next round of playoffs on Sunday at Madison Square Garden, right above Penn Station.<\/p>\n \u201cI don’t think anyone wants the Knicks making it to the Eastern Conference Finals to go down in history because getting to the game was a total nightmare,\u201d Chu said.<\/p>\n But, Chu added, \u201cthe MTA heading toward insolvency will dwarf the impact of a traffic jam around MSG.\u201d<\/p>\n 5:47 p.m.<\/p>\n By Maureen Mullarkey<\/a><\/p>\n Station Yards biz owner: Strike would pose ‘huge problem’ Abby Marr is the\u00a0general manager of Lucharitos in Station Yards in Ronkonkoma. Credit: Rick Kopstein<\/p>\n At Station Yards in Ronkonkoma, many businesses told Newsday they fear the strike would hurt their establishments, as they depend on commuters.<\/p>\n “I’m very nervous about potential strike,” said Abby Marr, general manager at Mexican restaurant Lucharitos Taco & Tequila Bar. “I think it’s not only going to impact us, but all the businesses around here. We rely heavily on that foot traffic that does come from the train, and not to mention this is a new development.”<\/p>\n Located in the center of the Station Yards square, Lucharitos has been in operation for over a year, Marr said.<\/p>\n While business has been good as the establishment tries to host events and interact with customers on social media, Marr said she sees a “huge problem” with the potential strike.<\/p>\n “We rely a lot of people to discover this new development that come off the train,” she said. “We rely heavy on the weather as well, so hearing that is going to be great weather, finally, on the weekend and a potential strike does make me a little nervous.”<\/p>\n Rohnit Narchal, co-owner of Wine & Liquor Cabinet, said a longterm strike could cause problems for businesses. Credit: Rick Kopstein<\/p>\n If the strike is still ongoing, if this continues for extended period of time into the summer, that’s when the problems will start to pile up a little bit more.<\/p>\n \u2014 Rohnit “Ron” Narchal, co-owner of\u00a0Wine & Liquor Cabinet<\/p>\n Rohnit “Ron”\u00a0Narchal, 21, of Holbrook, and his father co-own\u00a0Wine & Liquor Cabinet, which just had a grand opening last month.<\/p>\n As a new business that competes with a convenience store closer to the tracks, Narchal said they are still trying to establish themselves with the community.<\/p>\n The store is within the inner square of Station Yards.<\/p>\n “Right now, we do have commuters from the train come in,” Narchal said.<\/p>\n Narchal said the store wouldn’t immediately feel effects if a strike were to happen. But it could hurt business as the weather gets warmer and when people buy a six pack to take on the train to a sports game.<\/p>\n “If the strike is still ongoing, if this continues for extended period of time into the summer, that’s when the problems will start to pile up a little bit more,” he said.<\/p>\n Scott Palmer, general manager of Great South Bay Brewery, said he fears loss of customers ahead of sporting events. Credit: Rick Kopstein<\/p>\n If they’re not taking the train, they’re not coming here. That’s really what it boils down to.<\/p>\n \u2014\u00a0Scott Palmer, general manager of Great South Bay Brewery<\/p>\n Scott Palmer, general manager of Great South Bay Brewery, told Newsday he fears customers won’t come to pregame or postgame various sporting events, like the upcoming Subway Series at CitiField this weekend, if a strike were to occur.<\/p>\n “They come in, they have lunch, they have dinner\u2026 They have a few beers, they take a six pack, they get on the train,” Palmer said. “If they’re not taking the train, they’re not coming here. That’s really what it boils down to.”<\/p>\n Palmer said the brewery plans to have pregame specials this weekend.<\/p>\n Palmer said he receives an influx of business around hockey games at UBS in the wintertime as well.<\/p>\n But the warmer months tend to be slower for business as many people spend time outside or at the beach.<\/p>\n “It’s been a long time since they’ve come this far,” Palmer said of the LIRR workers. “We’ll see how it works out.”<\/p>\n Carl Klass, manager of The Pink Fin, said he worries about the business as well as his fiancee, who commutes to New Jersey. Credit: Rick Kopstein<\/p>\n Right now, hasn’t really affected us\u2026 but I’m kind of worried though.<\/p>\n \u2014 Carl Klass, manager and head chef of The Pink Fin<\/p>\n Carl Klass, manager and head chef of fast casual poke bowl restaurant The Pink Fin, also told Newsday he fears that commuters won’t patronize the store if a strike occurs.<\/p>\n “I mean, right now, hasn’t really affected us\u2026 but I’m kind of worried though,” he said.<\/p>\n Klass said he is also worried about his fiancee, who works as a teacher in New Jersey and relies on the transit system to get to school.<\/p>\n Every day she wakes up around 4 a.m. to ride the LIRR, then take a train to New Jersey before ultimately\u00a0taking an Uber to work \u2014\u00a0about a 3-hour commute one way, Klass said.<\/p>\n Lately, she has had difficulty walking and is looking for a closer job, he said.<\/p>\n “I feel terrible,” Klass said. “I never really thought it would impact her that much.”<\/p>\n Klass also added he thinks the LIRR union workers should receive a raise as they “work hard.”<\/p>\n “They should work something out,” Klass said. “Because without transportation, you know, it’s going to be a problem.”<\/p>\n ‘We’re praying the strike doesn’t happen’<\/p>\n Dr. Lori Escallier, who works at Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, said she prefers the LIRR to get between Southampton, where she has a home, and the city. The train costs her around $10 from Ronkonkoma, compared to the more than $100 cost of using an Uber and the Hampton Jitney.<\/p>\n The LIRR is also faster due to avoiding Manhattan traffic, which can take 1\u00bd\u00a0to 3 hours to her trip, she said.<\/p>\n “We’re praying the strike doesn’t happen,”\u00a0she said.<\/p>\n Ron Savage, of Patchogue, said he rides the train four days a week and thinks the workers should get the raises they’ve been demanding.<\/p>\n “I’ve seen a lot of dedication, a lot of loyalty in what they do, I believe they should get what’s coming to them,” he said.<\/p>\n Earlier, at the Hicksville LIRR stop, Jawairia Rohail was busy selling coffee and lottery tickets to customers at the station’s concession stand.<\/p>\n Farhat Qureshi, of Hicksville, said she owns the store and another at the LIRR station in Baldwin. She said whether they stay open will depend on how many people take the shuttle \u2014<\/p>\n Hicksville is one of six locations on Long Island from where the MTA will operate shuttles into the city.<\/p>\n “We’ll wait and see for a couple of days, how the response is, how the people are moving then only we’ll take the decision” whether to temporarily close, she said.<\/p>\n Sitting in the Hicksville LIRR station with his earbuds in, Wilmy Murcy said he had not heard about the potential strike. He depends on the train to get to work in Brooklyn Bridge Park, where he works in sanitation \u2014 not work one can do from home. He shares a car with his mother, who also needs it to get to her job.<\/p>\n He checked his phone to see how long it would take to get a NICE bus to work. “That’s going to take forever,” he said, before hopping on a train to Jamaica.<\/p>\n 4:29 p.m.<\/p>\n By Newsday Staff<\/p>\n Track fire in tunnels near Penn Station causing LIRR service disruptions<\/p>\n The FDNY is operating at a track fire in the tunnels near Penn Station that is disrupting Long Island Rail Road service across numerous branches.<\/p>\n Customers can expect delays, cancellations and reroutes along the Babylon, Port Washington and Ronkonkoma branches, the railroad reported on its website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Read the story here.<\/a><\/p>\n 4:14 p.m.<\/p>\n By Alfonso A. Castillo<\/a><\/p>\n ‘I think it’s going to go down to the wire’<\/p>\n Shortly before noon, lead MTA negotiator Gary Dellaverson emerged from the talks, went next door to get a coffee at Starbucks, and then went back to work.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a\u00a0Long Island MTA Board member with a background in union negotiations said the wage increases demanded by workers are out of sync with other labor organizations are getting.<\/p>\n Marc Herbst, the Suffolk County representative on the MTA Board and the executive director of the Long Island Contractors Association, said he negotiates collective bargaining agreements “for a living” and that annual wage increases of about 3.5% would be “consistent” with what other trades workers are getting.<\/p>\n “No one with salaries in the six figures are getting 5%,” said Herbst, referencing LIRR unions’\u00a0demands for raises in the fourth year of a new contract.<\/p>\n The unions have said the 5% raise in the fourth year is needed to offset raises averaging about 3.16% in the first three years of the contract, as both sides have agreed to.<\/p>\n “I think it’s going to go down to the wire,” Herbst said Wednesday. “But, I think if level heads prevail, there should not be a strike.”<\/p>\n 3:20 p.m.<\/p>\n By Matthew Chayes<\/a><\/p>\n The first LIRR strike in the work-from-home era? When union chief Edward Yule Jr. announced the\u00a0LIRR strike to the media in June 1994, working from home was a rarity. Credit: Newsday\/John Keating<\/p>\n During past strikes, there wasn\u2019t the practice or even the technological wherewithal to let employees work from home, noted Kathy Wylde, whose tenure at the Partnership for New York City, which represents the city’s biggest employers, overlapped with the LIRR strikes of 1994<\/a> and 1987.<\/p>\n Back then, there was no widespread Internet, let alone Zoom or Slack, so there was\u00a0no real work from home.<\/p>\n “People weren’t set up for that,”\u00a0said Wylde, who retired last year after 44 years at the Partnership. “Now, it\u2019s pretty routine.”<\/p>\n Work from home was turbocharged beginning in 2020 with the pandemic. According to a Gallup poll, 70% of jobs<\/a> were exclusively remote in May of that year.<\/p>\n Wylde said that during strikes employers have typically allowed employees to stay home, or arranged private transportation.<\/p>\n But, if a strike is prolonged, she told Newsday in Times Square, employers face tough choices in deciding how to proceed with return-to-office policies.<\/p>\n “Then it gets complicated.”<\/p>\n 3:06 p.m.<\/p>\n By Alfonso A. Castillo<\/a><\/p>\n The popsicle analogy: Yellow or red?<\/p>\n As the rhetoric between LIRR unions and MTA manager heats up, a peculiar analogy raised by a key MTA official has cooled them down some.<\/p>\n At a news briefing Wednesday, MTA chief negotiator Gary Dellaverson, in explaining why the lump sum offer being made management was no different than the wage increases sought by workers, \u201cIt\u2019s as if you said \u2026 ‘I don\u2019t want a red popsicle. I want a yellow popsicle,\u2019 without regard to the fact that both of them are popsicles and are precisely the same,\u201d Dellaverson said.<\/p>\n In a statement Thursday morning, the union referred to the popsicle analogy as an \u201cabsurdity.\u201d<\/p>\n Chatting in the lobby of MTA HQs Thursday just as negotiations were getting underway, MTA Chief of Policy and External Relations John McCarthy took the analogy further.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t pick between the popsicles, you know what happens?\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cThey both melt.\u201d<\/p>\n 2:52 p.m.<\/p>\n By Alfonso A. Castillo<\/a><\/p>\n Union: Lump-sum payment won’t work<\/p>\n Heading into Thursday\u2019s critical negotiating session with MTA managers, LIRR union leaders reiterated that they have no interest in a contract settlement made up of a one-time lump-sum payment.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, MTA chief negotiator Gar Dellaverson said the transit authority\u2019s latest offer would give workers the financial equivalent of the 4.5% wage increase recommended by federal mediators, half a percentage point from the unions\u2019 demands of 5%.<\/p>\n But rather than coming in standard wage increases, the money would be in a lump sum payment, which MTA officials have said would be more affordable for management over the long run.<\/p>\n In a statement Thursday, the coalition of five unions still \u201crejects the one-time payment gimmick,\u201d in part because, without a real raise, wages would default to 2025 levels when the unions return to the bargaining table for their next contract.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the cost is no different to MTA as Dellaverson implies, than we will gladly take the money in a straight-forward wage increase,\u201d Kevin Sexton, national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, and a coalition spokesman, said in a statement Thursday morning.<\/p>\n 2:29 p.m.<\/p>\n By Maureen Mullarkey<\/a><\/p>\n Some employers need ‘boots on the ground’ Raine Mackey, 69, of Westbury, chats on the train\u00a0with Sean Kuhn, 59, of Hicksville, on Thursday morning. Credit: Rick Kopstein<\/p>\n Raine Mackey, 69, of Westbury, takes the LIRR three times a week into the city.<\/p>\n Mackey, who has commuted for more than 30 years, said she works for an investment banking firm and manages their recruiting and build outs.<\/p>\n If the strike occurs, she would prefer to work from home. A strike would be \u201cinconvenient, coupled with the (upcoming FIFA) World Cup for those who are commuting to New Jersey,\u201d said Mackey, who manages about 20 employees.<\/p>\n Many people commute to her office from New Jersey or Connecticut, Mackey said, and some employees don\u2019t have the flexibility to work remotely.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are others, you know, such as our facilities team and our receptionist and our IT folks that really should be in the office,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need boots on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n Mackey said she doesn\u2019t agree with a pay increase for workers if it meant ticket prices would also rise.<\/p>\n Mackey said she receives a senior citizen discount and often buys a 10 pack of tickets, which still amounts to a lot, but the type of ticket depends on her workday.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we pay a fair amount of money,\u201d she said, \u201cIt\u2019s, I think, very difficult for many people.\u201d<\/p>\n 2:00 p.m.<\/p>\n By Alfonso A. Castillo<\/a><\/p>\n Many LIRR union workers would have to work<\/p>\n Even if no trains are running, about half of all LIRR union workers are expected to show up to work during a strike, including conductors.<\/p>\n While five unions representing about half of the railroad\u2019s organized workforce have vowed to walk off the job if a new contract isn\u2019t settled by Saturday, the other half settled with MTA management long ago and would not be part of a work stoppage.<\/p>\n Anthony Simon, head of the LIRR conductors\u2019 union, has said while his members won\u2019t cross physical picket lines if they are set up at their work locations, they will honor their contracts.<\/p>\n Even if trains aren\u2019t running, MTA managers have said they\u2019ll find work for employees reporting for duty, including helping organize contingency plans and communicating with customers. 1:38 p.m.<\/p>\n By Alfonso A. Castillo<\/a><\/p>\n MTA: Probationary workers will be fired if they strike<\/p>\n The Long Island Rail Road has informed unions that probationary employees will be fired if they go on strike, according to documents obtained by Newsday.<\/p>\n LIRR union leaders have suggested the move, which they called a \u201ctroubling\u201d threat, could be illegal, and an MTA board member criticized it as an escalation of tactics during negotiations.<\/p>\n Kelli Coughlin, the LIRR\u2019s senior deputy chief of labor relations, in a memo to LIRR employees Tuesday, advised probationary employees that they “are required to report to work, regardless of the Union’s strike,” which could come as soon as Saturday, if the MTA and the unions don\u2019t reach a contract agreement.<\/p>\n The memo \u201cthreatens\u201d that the probationary employees\u2019 failure to show up for work during a strike \u201cmay result in your termination.\u201d<\/p>\n In a letter to MTA managers Wednesday, the heads of the five LIRR unions called the memo \u201cespecially troubling given the inherently vulnerable status of probationary employees and the obvious chilling effect the memorandum is intended to produce \u2026 If you are asserting a lawful basis for taking such action, please provide it to us.\u201d<\/p>\n MTA spokespersons did not immediately respond to requests for comment about the letter. MTA Board Member Marc Herbst, who represent Suffolk County, said that, while MTA management \u201chas a right to self-help, as well\u201d during a contract impasse, any talk of firing employees would be \u201cgoing nuclear.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s healthy as part of negotiations to be talking about those types of actions at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n At Mineola, concerns about widespread impacts Mary Ellen Villalta comments about the potential upcoming LIRR strike Thursday morning. Credit: Newsday\/Howard Schnapp<\/p>\n Mary Ellen Villalta, manager at The Chefs Corner Caf\u00e9, around the corner from the Mineola train station, said she supports the striking unions, but a strike would make it difficult for her workers \u2014 four of whom commute to the restaurant by LIRR.<\/p>\n She said she has been getting some orders from the hospital to cater for emergency workers in case they have to stay over.<\/p>\n \u201cYou want fair wages, but yeah, this is gonna affect us,\u201d she said. \u201cIf it is couple days, I’ll figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n Moin Haque, of Williston Park, said he depends on the LIRR and NJ transit \u2014 which also went on strike recently \u2014 to get to work in New Jersey. The systems are \u201ccritical for me, because driving is just not practical.\u201d<\/p>\n Waiting for a train at Mineola, Haque said he works for a company that does research and development related to manufacturing and needs to work in person at least two to three days per week. If there’s a strike, he said he’ll reluctantly take his car, leaving earlier in the morning and later at night to avoid traffic.<\/p>\n 1:01 p.m.<\/p>\n By Maureen Mullarkey<\/a><\/p>\n Lawyer uses LIRR for court hopping Attorney Ihor Stratan, 39, of Farmingdale at the train in Farmingdale Thursday morning. Credit: Rick Kopstein<\/p>\n Personal injury lawyer Ihor Stratan, 39, of Farmingdale, said he depends on the LIRR as he travels between court houses throughout the week.<\/p>\n While his firm is based in Garden City, he will travel as far as the Bronx and Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Nassau County most days of his work week.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like tremendously important to use the LIRR to commute, because it’s very difficult to find parking space in the city, and it’s much faster for court appearances,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n If the strike does occur, Stratan said he will drive and spend money on a garage for parking.<\/p>\n He said eventually the negotiations have to lead to some resolution.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s hard to say, but it has to be some middle ground,\u201d Stratan said.<\/p>\n 12:28 p.m.<\/p>\n By Matthew Chayes<\/a><\/p>\n How long would your commute be if there’s a strike?<\/p>\n Passengers\u2019 commutes into Manhattan during a Long Island Rail Road labor strike would be longer \u2014 in some cases, almost twice as long \u2014 according to a Newsday analysis.\u00a0<\/p>\n Check the chart below to see how much commutes from popular LIRR stations would be affected, and read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n By Alfonso A. Castillo<\/a><\/p>\n The politics of a strike blame game<\/p>\n Who will the public blame if the LIRR goes on strike? One railroad labor expert believes it will be the federal lawmakers that let it happen.<\/p>\n Frank Wilner, a former White House-appointed chief of staff at the Surface Transportation Board and author of Understanding the Railway Labor Act, said while some disgruntled LIRR riders \u201cmay litter more\u201d or complain on social media, they\u2019ll ultimately have little choice but to return to the rails once the labor dispute is settled.<\/p>\n Union leadership, meanwhile, will have to answer, \u201conly to its members.\u201d<\/p>\n State elected officials, like Gov. Kathy Hochul, may have some political cover by pointing out that the LIRR collective bargaining process, unlike with MTA bus and subway workers, is governed by federal law, and not state law.<\/p>\n Wilner said they could tell the public, \u201cDon\u2019t blame me.\u201d<\/p>\n But under the Railway Labor Act of 1926, which governs all railroad union bargaining, federal representatives could intervene to resolve a labor dispute, including by imposing contract terms.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere does the buck stop?\u201d Wilner said. \u201cWith congressional representatives in a congressional election year.\u201d<\/p>\n Some making alternative plans<\/p>\n On the LIRR this morning, announcers warned riders about the potential for an upcoming strike and to make contingency plans.<\/p>\n Brianna Tang, a graduate student at Stony Brook University, was catching the eastbound 7:36 a.m. train at Woodside. She said she uses the LIRR to get between school and her fianc\u00e9 who lives in Queens, but if there’s a strike, she\u2019ll just stay in Stony Brook \u2014 next week is finals week.<\/p>\n Mike Wamser, a drama professor, said he was on his way to his last day teaching at Molloy University at Rockville Centre. He said many of his students ride the train, but at least the academic year is ending Friday. Still, he said, it may be difficult for some to make it to commencement on Monday.\u00a0<\/p>\n 12:05 p.m.<\/p>\n By Maureen Mullarkey<\/a><\/p>\n Rider: Strike would force her to stay home Miranda Dellipizzi, 28,\u00a0rides the LIRR train on Thursday. Credit: Rick Kopstein<\/p>\n Miranda Dellipizzi, 28, who lives in the Mastic-Shirley area, said she commutes on the LIRR from Ronkonkoma to downtown Manhattan three times a week.<\/p>\n As an underwriter for an insurance company, she said meeting with clients face to face is important for building client trust and creating their policies.<\/p>\n But if the strike were to occur, she would forgo commuting altogether and work from home.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that our whoever works the railroad, they work crazy hours and we do have to respect them,\u201d said Dellipizzi, who has commuted for four years. \u201cIf they’re asking for a little bit more money, I don’t think that’s terrible if this strike does happen.\u201d<\/p>\n If the LIRR were to strike, she would have to drive into downtown Manhattan, something she would find too stressful and time consuming.<\/p>\n \u201cNot many people say they can love the public transit, but it’s good for me, it’s convenient, it’s good for the environment,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n 11:49 a.m.<\/p>\n By Alfonso A. Castillo<\/a><\/p>\n Bus company ready to jump in<\/p>\n Long Island commuter bus company Hampton Jitney is gearing up for increased demand if the LIRR shuts down.<\/p>\n Vice President Andrew Lynch said Tuesday the company plans to operate about 30 round trips per day, with buses going between several stops in Eastern Suffolk and Manhattan.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will have all available drivers and vehicles in service and will add capacity where needed,” Lynch said in a statement.<\/p>\n 11:37 a.m.<\/p>\n By Maureen Mullarkey<\/a><\/p>\n LIRR operating on or close this morning Commuters wait for the train to leave the LIRR Ronkokoma station on May 14, 2026. Credit: Rick Kopstein<\/p>\n As the strike deadline looms, the LIRR was operating on or close to schedule on all of its branches and people were going to work as usual.<\/p>\n The parking lot to the Ronkonkoma train station was fully packed Thursday morning, with most of the cars wet with the early morning rain.<\/p>\n Several commuters lined up at Track 1 waiting for the 7:26 a.m. train to Penn Station.<\/p>\n 10:58 a.m.<\/p>\n By Alfonso A. Castillo<\/a><\/p>\n Hochul in Manhattan as LIRR talks resume Gov.\u00a0Kathy Hochul has said she has been involved in the ongoing negotiations between MTA managers and LIRR labor leaders. Credit: Ed Quinn<\/p>\n Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday will be a short subway ride away from the meeting that could decide whether the Long Island Rail Road shuts down Saturday.<\/p>\n Hochul, who has said she has been involved in the ongoing negotiations between MTA managers and LIRR labor leaders, is set to be the keynote speaker at the New York State Affordable Housing Conference being held at the Mariott Marquis Times Square Thursday morning.<\/p>\n Later in the morning, MTA negotiators and the heads of five LIRR unions are expected to meet at the MTA\u2019s headquarters at 2 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, about 20 minutes away by the 2 and 3 train.<\/p>\n There was no word whether Hochul planned to attend the negotiations, although she has regularly shown up for MTA meetings at the agency\u2019s offices, across the street from the Bowling Green subway station.<\/p>\n The last time the LIRR came this close to a work stoppage in the summer of 2014, then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo showed up to negotiations three days before the strike deadline and closed a deal with unions.<\/p>\n May 13 at 10:28 p.m.<\/p>\n By John Valenti<\/a><\/p>\n The last time the LIRR went on strike, the Rangers were champs and O.J. was on the run New York Rangers captain Mark Messier, joined by other members of the team, holds the Stanley Cup during the team’s victory parade in New York City, June 17, 1994. (AP Photo\/Marty Lederhandler) Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS\/Marty Lederhandler<\/p>\n The date was\u00a0June 17, 1994.<\/p>\n A date so strangely oddball, curious and historic for America and for American sports that ESPN made a 30-for-30 documentary film about it titled “June 17th, 1994.” The film was a chance “to look at the soul of America,” said director Brett Morgan.<\/p>\n For Long Island commuters the date is remembered for a different reason: It marks the last time the Long Island Rail Road went on strike.\u00a0 Read more here.<\/a><\/p>\n May 13 at 10:38 p.m.<\/p>\n By Alfonso A. Castillo<\/a><\/p>\n MTA managers, LIRR labor leaders disagree on raises MTA managers, making their case against Long Island Rail Road unions’ demands for 14.5% raises over four years, say LIRR employees threatening to strike are already the highest-paid railroad workers in the nation. But LIRR labor leaders argue both their pay and negotiating position are warranted given the high cost of living in New York and recent raises given at other railroads across the country.\u00a0Read more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n May 13 at 10:52 p.m.<\/p>\n LIRR strike could cost region $70 M in daily economic activity<\/p>\n The Long Island Rail Road transports more than 270,000 weekday riders each day, and a strike would disrupt the local economy and create ripple effects on businesses that rely on rail access, business leaders and economists said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMissed my train by 15 seconds,\u201d Parker said. \u201cYou don’t realize how big Grand Central Terminal is.\u201d She said the 7 train from the West Side was packed.
\u201cEveryone’s in a bad mood,\u201d Parker said.
If the LIRR workers strike, \u201cI\u2019m working from home,\u201d she said. \u201cThankfully my director is a Long Islander.”
Parker said she prefers to work in the office with her colleagues after the years that COVID-19 forced people to work remotely.
\u201cIt’s like PTSD from the pandemic,\u201d Parker said.
Tom Faulding, 55, from Baldwin said a strike would hurt him financially because his IT job doing networking can only be in person.
\u201cI’m an hourly worker, I have no vacation days,\u201d Faulding said. \u201cIf I don’t go into the city, I don’t work \u2026 you don’t work you don’t get paid.\u201d
He said he wouldn’t drive into the city if there’s a strike because he\u2019d spend half a day driving. He recalled the last LIRR strike when he did drive to and from work. \u201cIt took me two and half hours just to get to Baldwin,\u201d Faulding said. \u201cI’m just not going to work.\u201d
Still, he said he doesn’t begrudge the LIRR workers.
\u201cThey’re workers just like you and me,\u201d Faulding said. \u201cPeople have to make money however they can.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778797188_140_image.jpeg\"\/)
Unions are saying they’re still far apart, and no deal is likely tonight. Union officials are going on a break, and will be back negotiating starting at 7 p.m.
\n 8:54 p.m.<\/p>\n
A memo by an MTA labor relations official to LIRR employees Tuesday warned that probationary employees are required to show up to work during a strike. \u201cFailure to do so may result in your termination,\u201d the memo said.
Union officials have called the apparent threat \u201ctroubling\u201d and potentially illegal.
Asked about the letter, the MTA in a statement said only: \u201cAll LIRR employees are required to report to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
But for a quick visit to the Starbucks by the MTA’s chief negotiator, neither side has emerged since talks began around 10 a.m. at the MTA\u2019s offices at 2 Broadway in Lower Manhattan.
Outside, several news crews have set up video cameras pointing at a makeshift shift lectern, with hopes of someone providing an update on talks.
New Yorkers and international tourists have stopped by regularly throughout the day to ask what\u2019s going on. Some have expressed how they hope a settlement is reached soon.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wonder what\u2019s going to happen \u2014 I do go into the office,\u201d Ayala said. \u201cI guess I would work at home.\u201d
Matt B. Guzman, 56, of Inwood, takes the LIRR to his job in Manhattan training first responders and security guards.
If there\u2019s a strike, \u201cthat\u2019s going to hurt me a little bit but I\u2019ve got the A train about a mile from my house,\u201d he said.
\u201cI have the option to drive but I don\u2019t like doing that because of the traffic and the congestion toll,\u201d Guzman added. \u201cIt is what it is.\u201d
Guzman said he supported the LIRR workers.
\u201cThey\u2019ve been working such a long time without a raise,\u201d Guzman said. \u201cWhat they\u2019re asking, they should get.”<\/p>\n
Carlo Catalano, 54, of Baldwin, said he left work early due to the fire that shut down trains into Penn Station, his usual commuting hub near his job in IT.
\u201cI didn\u2019t want to get stuck in the city,\u201d Catalano said.
If the LIRR workers strike, he said he\u2019ll be hitting the road.
\u201cI\u2019ll have to drive in,\u201d Catalano said. \u201cI can\u2019t really work from home.\u201d
He said he doesn\u2019t think the rail workers will really strike, but if they do, \u201cyou kind of roll with the punches.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, a looming strike would hurt Maddie\u2019s, a play on Madison Square Garden upstairs.
It\u2019s already challenging enough: commuters are typically in a hurry, hybrid work schedules mean business isn\u2019t strong on certain days of the week, the business is tucked away off the main corridors, the tip jar has been stolen.
A strike won\u2019t help the business.
\u201cVery slow as is,\u201d he lamented as a customer waited for a boba drink, which came to America from Taiwan.
An important clientele, he said, are MTA and other workers, but if there\u2019s a strike, that business will diminish.<\/p>\n
John McCarthy, chief of policy and external relations for the MTA, said Tuesday\u00a0that railroad management would work with labor leaders to wind down service Friday evening, with the goal of having all trains stored in yards ahead of the Saturday 12:01 a.m. strike deadline.
At some point Friday, the MTA would begin advising customers, including through the TrainTime app, about the last departures on each branch before trains stop running altogether.
McCarthy compared a potential winding down of LIRR service to what riders experienced during the Feb. 22 winter storm, when the railroad temporarily suspended service for more than 24 hours.
\u201cAhead of the storm, we told people when the last train was gonna be at different destinations, and there’s an expectation they would get that kind of information,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cThis is about making people aware, so they\u2019re not caught off guard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it does, it will be disastrous,\u201d she said. \u201cI’m on Long Island, so alternative for travel is buses, which there aren’t enough buses for everyone. So it\u2019ll just be mass chaos.<\/p>\n![\"Across](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778797189_938_image.jpeg\"\/)
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<\/p>\n12:23 p.m.<\/p>\n
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LIRR workers are prepared to strike if their wage increase demands aren’t met by May 16. Commuters weighed in on Thursday. NewsdayTV’s Virginia Huie reports.
\n Credit: Morgan Campbell, Ed Quinn; File Footage<\/p>\n