North America鈥檚 largest commuter rail system shuts down as workers strike

NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� North America鈥檚 largest commuter rail system was shut down Saturday after unionized workers in the New York City area .

The Long Island Rail Road that serves the city’s eastern suburbs ceased operations early Saturday morning after five unions representing about half its workforce walked off the job.

The two sides have been on a new contract, and President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration had even interceded to try and broker a deal. But the unions were legally allowed to strike starting at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

Kevin Sexton of the National Vice President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen said no new negotiations have been scheduled.

鈥淲e鈥檙e far apart at this point,鈥� Sexton said early Saturday. 鈥淲e are truly sorry that we are in this situation.鈥�

Janno Lieber, the MTA chairman, said the agency 鈥済ave the union everything they said they wanted in terms of pay鈥� and that to him it was apparent the unions always intended to walk out.

The walkout, the first for the LIRR since a two-day strike in 1994, promises to cause headaches for some sports fans planning to see the crosstown baseball rivals the New York Yankees and Mets battle this weekend or to watch the NBA鈥檚 New York Knicks playoff run at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. Both sports venues have dedicated LIRR stops.

If the shutdown continues past the weekend, the roughly 250,000 people who ride the system to and from work each weekday will be forced to find alternative routes into New York City from its Long Island suburbs.

For many, that likely means navigating the region鈥檚 notoriously congested roads.

鈥淧eople are still going to commute, but if everybody starts driving now, the traffic is only going to get worse,鈥� said Rich Piccola, an accountant who commutes into the city as he waited at Penn Station for a train home Thursday.

Gov. Kathy Hochul is urging Long Islanders to work from home if possible. The MTA has said it will provide limited shuttle buses to New York City subway stations, but that contingency plan wasn’t envisioned to handle all the riders the system normally carries on a workday.

And while remote work options greatly expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, many workers still need to show up in person, said Lisa Daglian, executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, a commuter advocacy group.

鈥淵ou work in construction, you work in the healthcare industry, you work at a school or you鈥檙e about to graduate from school, that鈥檚 not always possible,鈥� she said of telecommuting. 鈥淧eople need to get where they need to go.鈥�

The most recent contract talks have stalled on the question of worker鈥檚 salaries and health care premiums.

The MTA has said the unions鈥� initial demands would have led to fare increases and impacted contract negotiations with other unionized workers.

The unions, which represent locomotive engineers, machinists, signalmen and other train workers, have said more substantial raises were warranted to help workers keep up with inflation and rising living costs.

Some riders, while sympathetic to the union鈥檚 affordability concerns, worry they鈥檒l bear the brunt of any pay raises.

If the unions get the pay increases they are looking for, “it will come at the expense of our riders who will see next year鈥檚 4% fare increase doubled to 8%,鈥� Gerard Bringmann, chair of the LIRR Commuter Council, a rider advocacy group, said in a statement. 鈥淟ike the union workers, we too are burdened by the increase in the cost of living here on Long Island.鈥�

With Hochul, a Democrat, facing reelection later this year, the pressure might be on the MTA to strike a deal to end the shutdown, said William Dwyer, a labor relations expert at Rutgers University in New Jersey, where commuter rail workers staged a last year.

鈥淪he鈥檚 up for reelection, and Long Island is a critical vote for her,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o if there鈥檚 a significant fare hike, that does not bode well for her on Election Day.鈥�

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