Gov. Kathy Hochul says LIRR work rules 'focus' in contract talks after high overtime report

Restructuring antiquated LIRR union work rules will be a key focus of the state in contract negotiations as it moves toward a Washington, D.C., showdown with labor leaders next month, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday.

Responding to a Newsday story that found union work rules to have been a contributing factor to some Long Island Rail Road employees making more than $240,000 in overtime in 2023, Hochul said Tuesday that the LIRR contract provisions — some of which date back to the 1800s — "play an important role" in driving up costs at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and "need to be restructured."

"Work rules that have been put in place for a long time need to be reexamined in light of ... our economic circumstances," Hochul said at a Grand Central Terminal news conference about recent improvements in Metro-North and LIRR service. "We need to look at, in a responsible way, some of the drivers of that. These are the highest paid railroad workers in the nation." She said work rules are "going to be our focus."

The comments came as the National Mediation Board told Newsday on Tuesday that the Presidential Emergency Board ordered by the Trump administration to help resolve the ongoing contract dispute between the MTA and five LIRR unions will take place in Washington from Oct. 5 to Oct. 10.

Responding to a request from the unions, President Donald Trump last week established the panel of mediators to oversee further negotiations between the two side, and deliver nonbinding recommendations for a resolution.

The MTA wants the unions to accept the same three-year contract, with 9.5% in raises, that has already been approved by most unions at the transit authority, including at the LIRR. The five labor organizations, which represent roughly half of all LIRR union workers, want to add a fourth year to the contract with an additional 6.5% in wage increases — an amount they say is necessary to address inflation.

The unions were threatening to go on strike as early as Sept. 18, but the request for White House intervention delayed a potential work stoppage until January at the earliest.

Responding to Hochul’s remarks, Jeff Klein, general chairman of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 589, which represents LIRR electricians, said Tuesday that it appears "the governor is not being advised well, as she continues to make assertions about the process and the unions that are simply not founded in fact."

As reported in Newsday, the LIRR’s three top overtime earners in 2023 were represented by the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, which is not involved in the ongoing contract impasse with the MTA, having accepted the three-year, 9.5% raise deal. Some work rules apply to many unions, including those giving preference for overtime opportunities to the most senior workers.

On Tuesday, LIRR President Robert Free defended the railroad’s recent efforts to rein in overtime, which he said was higher than usual in 2023, in part because of the resources required to open Grand Central Madison and because of vacancies created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Free noted that through improved "oversight and hiring" the railroad cut instances of employees working 24 consecutive hours by 60% in 2024 as compared to 2023.

Still, Free agreed that work rules remain "challenging." He said the railroad is open to increased raises for the unions involved in the labor dispute, "but we have to look at some of these work rules that are increasing salaries exponentially."

By Alfonso A. Castillo

alfonso.castillo@newsday.com@alfonsoreports

Alfonso Castillo has been reporting for Newsday since 1999 and covering the transportation beat since 2008. He grew up in the Bronx and Queens and now lives in Valley Stream with his wife and two sons.