Five unions are expected to make a final decision at a meeting on the 15th. The Long Island Railroad (LIRR) has announced its first full-scale strike in 30 years. The five unions, representing nearly half of the LIRR’s workforce (over 3,000), announced on the 11th that they could launch a full-scale strike as early as midnight on the 18th due to the breakdown in wage negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). If the LIRR union goes on a full-scale strike, it would be the first full-scale strike in 31 years, since 1994, and inconveniences are expected for approximately 300,000 LIRR riders.
The MTA claimed that the negotiations broke down because the unions demanded an additional 6.5% wage increase after proposing a 9.5% wage increase over three years. The unions, on the other hand, argue that their demands for additional wage increases are justified since wages have not increased since 2022. In response, the MTA has begun renegotiating and preparing for a strike.
If the union goes on strike as scheduled starting at midnight on the 18th, the MTA plans to run buses every 10 minutes during weekday rush hours from three LIRR stations. The buses will run from LIRR Hicksville and Ronkonkoma stations to the Mets-Willets Point subway station (connecting to the 7-train line), and from Bellmore station to the Howard Beach-JFK Airport subway station (connecting to the A train line).
Buses bound for Manhattan will operate from 4:30 AM to 9 AM, while those bound for Long Island will operate from 3 PM to 7 PM. Passholders will be eligible for refunds for the number of days unused due to the strike.
Meanwhile, the LIRR’s five unions will meet on the 15th to decide whether to launch a full-scale strike.