5 LIRR unions that went on strike ratify contract with 15% raises over 4 years

The five Long Island Rail Road unions that went on strike last month to secure raises of about 15% over four years have ratified a new contract, sending the deal to the MTA board for final approval Wednesday.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen — the organization representing LIRR train operators — on Thursday became the last of the five unions to finalize results. With about 85% of members casting ballots, the union approved the contract by a vote of 432-9, according to union general chairman Gilman Lang.

The contract gives workers annual raises averaging 3.5% over four years, which, compounded, would increase salaries by about 15% over four years. MTA officials had said that raises beyond 2% — the amount for which the transit authority had budgeted — could result in steep fare hikes and tax increases.

However, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Metropolitan Transportation Authority leaders have since said the deal with workers three days into the LIRR's first union strike in a 32 years could be afforded without any impact to the public.

Hochul's office declined to comment on pending labor matters Friday. MTA officials did not comment, other than to confirm the contract will be on the MTA board's agenda next week.

"The membership saw through all the MTA's antics," Lang said Thursday. "At the end of the day, I'll let the results speak for themselves."

The four other unions involved in the contract dispute — the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the Transportation Communications Union and the International Association of Machinists — also approved their contracts by similarly high margins, officials said.

Michael Sullivan, general chairman of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, said his members’ 96% vote in favor of ratification "reflects the strength, unity and determination they showed throughout this fight."

The deal now goes to the MTA board, which is expected to vote on the contract during a closed-door executive session at its monthly meeting Wednesday. The board will be without a Nassau representative following the decision earlier this month by longtime member David Mack  to withdraw his name from consideration for reconfirmation by the State Senate for another term.

The four-year contract, which would be retroactive to 2023, promises workers raises of 3% in the first two years, 3.5% in the third year and 4.5% in the fourth year, and comes with some concessions, including a six-week contract extension and an agreement by workers to undergo computer training outside of work hours — allowing the MTA to save on overtime costs.

Unable to reach a deal before a federally dictated deadline, the five unions — representing about half the LIRR’s 7,000-member organized workforce — walked off the job on May 16, shutting down the nation’s largest commuter railroad and leaving tens of thousands of commuters scrambling for other ways to get around. 

"It’s unfortunate that the MTA put our members and the riders in this position," said Transportation Communications Union vice president Nicholas Peluso, who thanked commuters and apologized to them "for any inconvenience experienced during this process."

MTA board member Sammy Chu, of Lindenhurst, said he expects transit authority budget planners to brief the board ahead of Wednesday’s vote about how costs of the new contract will be absorbed.

"I value the workforce. They have hard jobs and they deserve to get paid fairly. We also have a hard job in making sure that the budget is managed," Chu said. "I expect us to have a very detailed conversation on that, because it's our responsibility to make sure that we can make sure the system is supported financially."

Marc Herbst, the MTA board's Suffolk representative, said he expects the contract will be approved by the board, marking the end of a labor dispute that began more than three years ago. It also clears the way for the transit authority to focus on its next major contract negotiation with its 40,000-member city bus and subway workers' union.

"That will probably be a contentious experience as well," Herbst said.

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.