A potential LIRR strike is 2 weeks away. Here's what to know
A Long Island Rail Road union strike that would strand 270,000 daily riders, further clog up roadways, and deliver a major blow to Long Island's economy could be just two weeks away.
With the federally regulated collective bargaining process exhausted, either the MTA and union reach a deal, or 3,500 LIRR workers walk off the job as soon as May 16. Although both the MTA and unions said this week they're eager to sit down, there's been little negotiating in recent months, and the two sides remain split over the size of worker raises in the last year of a four-year deal.
Without a settlement, LIRR riders' heading to Manhattan will likely have to do so using congested roads, and potentially riding a special shuttle bus running between five Long Island locations and two subway stops in Queens.
Here's what you need to know about what would be the first LIRR strike in more than 30 years.
How'd we get here?
The various LIRR unions have historically negotiated together. In 2023, five unions representing nearly half the 7,000 union workers broke ranks with the railroad’s largest union, believing they could secure a better contract. After failing to strike a deal with the MTA, the unions took their case to federal mediation.
When unions rejected an invitation by mediators in August to enter into binding arbitration, the clock began ticking toward a legal work stoppage, which could have commenced as early as last September, but was delayed when they requested the intervention of two White House-appointed mediation boards. The mediators' failure to broker a deal cleared the way for LIRR workers to legally strike at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, May 16.
Unlike New York City subway and bus unions, which are governed by the state's Taylor Law prohibiting strikes, LIRR workers are under the Federal Railway Labor Act, which allows for an employee strike or employer lockout when all other options have been exhausted.
What are the sticking points?
The MTA believes the five LIRR labor organizations should accept the same deal as most other transit unions — a three-year contract totaling 9.5% in wage increases, a process known as pattern bargaining. But the unions, which represent locomotive engineers, electricians, machinists, signal workers, ticket clerks and others, say the raises being offered don't keep up with the rising cost of living in recent years, as well as raises offered at other U.S. railroads.
The unions originally sought a fourth year with its 6.5% raises, but have since come down to 5%. The MTA has offered a fourth year at 3%, or as high as 4.5% if the unions agree to various productivity increases and concessions. Those include eliminating work rules allowing for 18 hours of consecutive overtime, and for a second day's pay if a locomotive engineer operates an electric train and a diesel train in the same shift.
The unions have said the givebacks would amount to a pay cut for workers, and maintain that the MTA, which closed out 2025 with a $765 million budget surplus, can afford to pay the LIRR workers the raises they want. The two White House-appointed mediation boards agreed.
What are the LIRR workers paid?
Members of the five unions threatening to strike made on average $122,443 in 2024, according to a Newsday analysis of MTA payroll records. The MTA says that makes them the highest-paid railroad workers in the United States. The unions don't dispute that, except to point out that locomotive engineers at some other railroads make a higher hourly wage. The LIRR unions say they've earned their pay through hard work and extensive training, and cite the high, and growing, cost of living in New York.
Will my fares increase?
The MTA says it only budgets for annual pay increases of about 2%, and that if it goes above that for 3,400 LIRR union workers, its entire labor force of about 50,000 employees would expect the same. That could necessitate doubling the size of a scheduled fare increase next year from 4% to 8%, MTA officials have said.
The unions have accused the MTA of "shameless fear-mongering."
What are the chances of a resolution?
MTA leaders have expressed optimism, with LIRR President Rob Free recently saying the two sides are "almost there" and that he "absolutely" believes a deal can be reached. Union leaders have sounded less hopeful, accusing the MTA of showing "no sense of urgency."
A little progress seemed to be made Wednesday, when a public confrontation between LIRR union representatives and MTA leaders at a meeting of the transit authority's board ended with an impromptu bargaining session, and plans for further talks in the near future.
"We're ready to stay at the table every day, all day as necessary to try to reach an agreement," MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said at a Brooklyn news conference Friday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who oversees the MTA, is expected to play a key role in a resolution to the dispute, which comes on the same year she seeks reelection. Hochul spokesman Sean Butler said Thursday that it is "critical that both sides come to the table and negotiate in good faith."
Other lawmakers could have a hand in a resolution, including Congress, which can impose a binding contract.
What would a strike look like?
Although only around half of LIRR union workers have vowed to strike, the railroad would not run any train service during a work stoppage. Nonstriking unions have said their members will not cross physical picket lines, but do plan to come to work, and MTA managers have said they'll find jobs for them.
MTA officials expect that in a post-COVID world, most daily commuters would be able to work remotely, reducing the potential impact from a strike. The transit agency has said it will reach out to major employers in the region to urge them to allow workers to stay home.
Still, business leaders have warned that a strike could be devastating to Long Island, costing more than $50 million in lost economic activity per day. It could also deal a blow to tourism, coming days before Memorial Day weekend, the beginning of the Hamptons getaway season.
Is there a contingency plan?
For those who don't have the option to stay home, the MTA is putting together a contingency plan that will include peak hour shuttle buses serving five locations on Long Island and two subway stops in Queens.
Buses from Mineola station, Hicksville station, and Hempstead Lake State Park will link to the A train station at Howard Beach-JFK Airport. Buses at Ronkonkoma and Huntington stations will run to and from the F train station at Jamaica-179 St. Buses will run westbound from 4:30 to 9 a.m. and eastbound from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday. MTA officials said other bus arrival and departure locations could be added.
Other options include getting dropped off and picked up at subway stations in Queens, or using Nassau's NICE Bus, which offers some service into Queens. More information about the contingency plan is at mta.info/lirrstrike.
Can I get my money back?
The MTA says it plans to offer prorated refunds to LIRR monthly ticket holders.
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.
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