New York commuter rail system ceases operations as workers strike

NEW YORK (AP) — The Long Island Rail Road, North America’s largest commuter rail system, was shut down Saturday after union workers went on strike for the first time in three decades.

The railroad, which serves New York City and its eastern suburbs, ceased operations shortly after midnight after five unions representing about half its workforce walked out.

Unions and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the public agency that runs the railroad, have been negotiate for months on a new contract, with negotiations stalled over the issue of worker salaries and health bonuses. President Donald Trump’s administration tried to negotiate a deal, but the unions were legally allowed to strike starting at 12:01 a.m.

Kevin Sexton, national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said no new negotiations are planned.

“We’re very far apart at this point,” Sexton said early Saturday. “We are very sorry to find ourselves in this situation.”

MTA President Janno Lieber said the agency “gave the union everything they said they wanted in terms of wages” and that it was obvious to him that the unions had always intended to walk away.

First LIRR walkout since 1994

The walkout, the first for the LIRR since a two-day strike in 1994, promises to cause headaches for sports fans planning to see the Yankees and Mets face off this weekend or watch the Knicks playoffs at Madison Square Garden, located directly above the Penn Station rail hub in Manhattan.

In the afternoon, the station was devoid of its usual weekend hustle and bustle. Only a few dozen people were seen passing through the main concourse, many dragging rolling luggage from departing or arriving Amtrak trains, which are not affected by the strike.

Departure signs normally showing upcoming trains by destination instead showed ghost trains marked “No Passengers”. A few signs posted at customer service counters explained that the railway had been closed due to a strike.

Access to the platforms was blocked by bike rack-style barricades and rolling doors while MTA police officers stood guard, directing people to alternative means of transportation.

Shutdown could seriously disrupt weekday commutes

If the shutdown continues into the workweek, the roughly 250,000 people who ride the system each weekday will be forced to find alternative routes to the city from suburban Long Island. For many, that likely means traveling the region’s notoriously congested roads.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, blamed the Trump administration for disrupting mediation and pushing negotiations toward a strike. Trump, a Republican, responded on his Truth Social platform, saying he had nothing to do with the strike and that he had “never heard of it until this morning.”

“No, Kathy, it’s your fault, and now looking at the facts, you shouldn’t have allowed this to happen,” Trump said, renewing his support for Long Island politician Bruce Blakeman, who is challenging Hochul’s re-election bid. “If you can’t solve the problem, let me know and I’ll show you how to get things done correctly.”

Hochul urged Long Islanders to work from home if possible. The MTA said it would provide a limited number of shuttles to New York City subway stations, but that contingency plan was not designed to handle all the passengers the system normally carries in a workday.

And even though remote work options have expanded significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people still need to report in person, said Lisa Daglian, executive director of the MTA Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee, a commuter advocacy group.

“You work in construction, you work in healthcare, you work in a school or you’re about to graduate, that’s not always possible,” she said. “People have to get where they need to go. »

Dave Sumner, a locomotive engineer for 32 years, said he expects Trump or Congress to intervene before the strike lasts much longer.

“We play a vital role in this,” he said.

The MTA said the unions’ initial demands to raise wages would have led to fare increases and impacted contract negotiations with other union workers.

The unions, which represent locomotive engineers, machinists, signalmen and other rail workers, said more substantial raises were warranted to help workers cope with inflation and the rising cost of living.

Duane O’Connor, who demonstrated in the morning at Penn Station, said that while he regrets the impact on commuters, workers are simply asking for fair pay.

“I feel terrible. Terrible. This is going to hurt. It’s going to hurt the island, it’s going to hurt the city. … All we’re asking for is fair wages,” he said.

“We basically went three years without a contract,” said Karl Bischoff, a locomotive engineer with LIRR for 29 years. “If they executed their construction contracts that way, this place would be in worse shape.”

If unions get the pay increases they seek, “it will come at the expense of our passengers who will see next year’s 4 percent fare increase doubled to 8 percent,” Gerard Bringmann, president of the passenger advocacy group LIRR Commuter Council, said in a statement. “Like union workers, we too are burdened by the rising cost of living here on Long Island.”

As Hochul runs for re-election, pressure could be on the MTA to reach a deal to end the shutdown, said William Dwyer, a labor relations expert at Rutgers University in New Jersey, where commuter rail workers held a meeting. three day strike last year.

“She’s up for re-election and Long Island is a crucial vote for her,” Dwyer said. “So if there’s a significant rate hike, that doesn’t bode well for her on Election Day.”

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Follow Philippe Marcelo on https://x.com/philmarcelo