New York officials urged commuters to work from home Monday as a strike by Long Island Rail Road workers disrupted commutes for hundreds of thousands of riders across the region.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority were preparing emergency transit alternatives, including shuttle buses from Long Island into Queens and additional subway service, after negotiations between the MTA and rail unions broke down this weekend, prompting workers to walk off the job and shutting down the railroad Saturday.
“Let’s face the facts: It’s impossible to fully replace LIRR service,” Hochul told reporters at a news conference Sunday.
The strike — the LIRR’s first in roughly 30 years — has halted service on the nation’s busiest commuter rail system, which carries hundreds of thousands of riders between Long Island and New York City.
The LIRR union coalition was back at the bargaining table with MTA and LIRR management Sunday evening, the unions announced on Facebook.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on X that LIRR service remains suspended as negotiations continue, and the city is preparing for travel disruptions.
Shuttle buses for essential workers began operating at about 4:30 a.m. Monday from six locations across Nassau and Suffolk counties to subway connections in Queens.
Officials repeatedly urged commuters who can work remotely to stay home during the strike.
At a picket line outside Penn Station in Manhattan on Sunday, union members were resolute.
Eric Martin, a locomotive engineer who has been with his union for 24 years, said they’re fighting “to keep a fair wage for ourselves, for our family, and our friends.”
“It might take a couple of days, but the end result is we will come to a resolution,” he said. “If we have to stand out here two weeks, two months, we will do what is necessary to make it happen.”
Jim Louis, the national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said he’s hopeful.
“Our coalitions — we have five unions here — they are very strong,” he said. “The only way that we can get an agreement is for the MTA to understand that all our membership is asking for is to just try to keep their heads above water with the standard of living.”
Michael Sanchez, an assistant national representative with the Transportation Communications Union (TCU), estimated 100 people were striking outside Penn Station on Sunday, in addition to about 2,000 picketing throughout MTA properties on the LIRR.
Speaking to the thousands of riders who will be affected Monday, he said: “We’re here for our friends, but also for yourself, because we deliver a high-quality product in our skill set and the service that we provide for the Long Island Rail Road. And to be able to maintain that, we have to maintain real wages to hire top-shelf people to keep providing an excellent service.”
MTA officials have blamed union leadership for walking away from negotiations, saying the transit agency remained willing to continue bargaining.
“We made it clear we are available if they want to come back and negotiate,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said. “They walked out and they went on strike.”
The coalition of unions representing roughly 3,500 LIRR workers accused Lieber and MTA leadership of forcing a shutdown by refusing to agree to wage increases after years without raises amid rising living costs.
In a statement Sunday, the unions said the two sides were separated by less than 1 percentage point before talks broke down Friday night and argued the strike was “completely avoidable.”
“Long Island Rail Road workers want to be doing what they’ve always done — serving the riding public and keeping LIRR moving safely and efficiently,” IAM Union International President Brian Bryant said. “But after years without raises and with the cost of living continuing to climb across Long Island and the New York City area, workers deserve a fair contract that recognizes their contributions and sacrifices. This strike was completely avoidable, and the coalition remains ready to negotiate at any time if MTA leadership is finally prepared to bargain seriously.”
The unions pointed to recommendations from two presidential emergency boards that they said backed stronger wage increases for workers.
Hochul defended the MTA’s position Sunday, saying the agency could not agree to labor demands that would force steep fare hikes and higher taxes.
“New York is a pro-labor state,” Hochul said. “We believe in working men and women receiving a fair wage and benefits, but the MTA cannot agree to a contract that would raise fares as much as 8% and risk hiking taxes for Long Islanders.”
