LIRR strike talks: MTA, unions meeting Monday

LIRR union leaders and MTA managers, locked in a contract impasse, are set to meet Monday with hopes of averting a commute-crippling strike next month, officials said Wednesday.

The scheduled conference — only the second between the two sides this year — comes amid questions over whether the Metropolitan Transportation Authority can afford to pay the Long Island Rail Road workers what they want without having to raise fares for riders.

The National Mediation Board, which MTA and union officials said is organizing the meeting, would not confirm details, but said it is "engaged in the long-standing practice of outreach" with the two sides as they inch closer to a potential May 16 strike. It would be the first LIRR work stoppage in more than three decades.

MTA officials "look forward to meeting the unions," MTA Chief Labor and Employee Relations Officer Anita Miller said in a statement.

"This is an important moment for anyone who is serious about avoiding a strike," Miller said.

A spokesman for the five unions involved in the dispute declined to comment.

Sean Butler, a spokesperson for Gov. Kathy Hochul, who oversees the MTA, said in a statement: "The right course of action is for both parties to meet at the table, and this meeting is a productive step."

Following nearly three years of failed negotiations, the two sides remain split over the terms of a new contract. Both sides have agreed on raises totaling 9.5% over the first three years, the rate that most MTA unions have already accepted. But the five LIRR labor organizations, which represent roughly half the railroad’s union workforce, want a fourth year at 5% — an amount they say is needed to keep up with the rising cost of living, and comparable with raises recently paid to other union workers in the railroad industry.

The MTA has offered a 4.5% raise in the fourth year of the deal, but tied it to productivity increases and work rule concessions that unions have said would amount to a pay cut.

MTA officials have noted that any raises above what they’ve budgeted for would put added pressure on their operating budget, which is largely funded by tax revenues and fares.

"We’re ready to talk about wage increases ... but we need to have a serious discussion figuring out how to pay for them through collaborative productivity improvements, which are very achievable," MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said on March 25.

LIRR labor leaders have said the MTA can afford to pay the unions what they want without having to raise fares, which most recently went up by an average of about 4% in January.

"They have the money," Kevin Sexton, national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, and a spokesman for the five unions, said at an April 8 news conference. "There is no reason why this should have to raise their expenses."

Union officials have suggested the MTA is flush with cash, including revenue from congestion pricing tolls, which are generating about $500 million annually, and state fees tied to the development of new casinos, which could pay the MTA $1.5 billion over the next three years. The MTA closed out 2025 with a $765 million surplus, union officials have noted.

Two White House-appointed mediators have agreed that the MTA has the capacity to give the unions the raises they’re seeking, writing in a report last month that "there is nothing in the record to lead us to conclude that the (MTA) cannot afford the increases ... or that the burden on the City, the State, or the riding public would be excessive."

The unions threatening to walk off the job next month include those representing train operators, signal inspectors, electricians, machinists and ticket agents. MTA leaders have said that in the event of a strike they expect most commuters would be able to work remotely. A contingency plan announced by the MTA last September would provide limited, peak period bus service between three LIRR stations — Bellmore, Hicksville and Ronkonkoma — and three subway stations in Queens.

Gerard Bringmann, chairman of the LIRR Commuter Council, a rider advocacy group, doesn't believe the contingency plan goes far enough, especially as the limited parking at the three LIRR stations won't meet the demand of commuters across Long Island.

"I doubt very seriously that it's going to get settled on Monday. I just hope progress is made," Bringmann said. "I'm praying that we don't have a strike. But it's a distinct possibility, so be prepared."

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.