LIRR Strike Disrupts NYC Evening Commute

The Long Island Rail Road strike that shut down the nation’s busiest commuter railroad for three days ended late Monday, after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and five unions representing about 3,500 workers reached a deal. Governor Kathy Hochul said the agreement would restore service in phases on Tuesday, May 19. The walkout began early Saturday, May 16, after contract talks broke down. Nearly 300,000 daily riders had been forced onto shuttle buses, subways, ferries and cars during the stoppage. ### When did the strike start, and when did it end? May 16 was the first day of the strike, after five Long Island Rail Road unions announced a walkout when they failed to reach a contract with the MTA. Janno Lieber, the MTA’s chair and chief executive, said at the time that the agency had made offers it believed met the unions’ pay demands without breaking the transit system’s budget. (amny.com) May 18 was the day the strike ended. Hochul announced Monday night that the MTA and the unions had reached a deal after a weekend of negotiations, though officials did not immediately release the full contract terms. The agreement ended what amNewYork described as a three-day work stoppage. ### Who was involved in the contract fight? Five unions representing roughly half of the railroad’s workforce were involved in the dispute. (mta.info) AmNewYork reported that those unions represented about 3,500 LIRR workers. Kevin Sexton, vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said after the deal that the unions were looking forward to getting members back to work. (amny.com) An April 29 MTA labor update showed the main public split in bargaining. The document said both sides agreed to retroactive wage increases of 3% for 2023, 3% for 2024 and 3.5% for 2025, while the MTA offered 3% for 2026 and the unions sought 5% for that year. The same presentation said the MTA wanted work-rule changes, including changes to penalty pay and customer-service assignments. ### How badly did service break down for commuters? (amny.com) The Long Island Rail Road suspended service entirely during the strike, according to the MTA. CBS New York reported that more than 250,000 daily riders were affected, while amNewYork put the figure at nearly 300,000 commuters. The MTA urged riders who could work from home to do so. The MTA set up free shuttle buses between six Long Island locations and subway connections in Queens. (mta.info) Those buses ran during peak hours toward Manhattan from 4:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. and toward Long Island from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., with limited reverse-peak service on some routes. The agency also directed riders to NICE Bus links and designated subway drop-off points including Kew Gardens-Union Turnpike, Far Rockaway-Mott Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard. (mta.info) ### What did the MTA and unions say during the walkout? Janno Lieber said in an MTA statement that a strike meant “everybody loses” — the agency, workers who lose wages and riders who depend on the railroad. He said the MTA would not agree to a contract that, in his words, would force fare hikes or shift large new costs to taxpayers. (mta.info) Kathy Hochul said Monday night that the final agreement met what she called two principles: protecting affordability for riders and providing “fair wages” for workers. Kevin Sexton said the unions were ready to return to work after what he described through amNewYork as difficult bargaining sessions. ### What service is back, and what should riders expect now? Tuesday, May 19, was the first day of phased service restoration. (mta.info) The MTA said limited service would resume at noon, and shuttle buses would continue through the morning rush. The agency said customers should continue to work from home on Tuesday if possible while service was being restored. Rob Free, the LIRR president, said four electric branches — Port Washington, Huntington, Ronkonkoma and Babylon — would begin running again at noon, with full afternoon peak service returning at 4 p.m. across all branches, including diesel lines. (amny.com) Riders were directed to the MTA’s strike information page and service alerts for updated schedules as normal operations resumed on May 19. (mta.info)