'Am I just losing out on $200?': LIRR commuter worries strike will hurt wallet

Nino Prodigalidad, 34, of Selden, said he commutes five to six days a week using the train from Ronkonkoma for his job as a grocery produce procurement manager in Manhattan.

His plan is to drive into the city if trains stop. “I’ll just drive in really, really early, and hopefully beat out the traffic. … I'll probably leave at 4 in the morning,” he said.

Prodigalidad is also worried about the financial hit he’ll take from the strike as a monthly pass holder.

“I pay $400 a month for a monthly pass. Where's that gonna go to? It's halfway through the month, Am I just losing out on $200?” If there is a strike, he said, he hopes the MTA provides some relief in the form of a refund or free monthly pass next month.

“The workers, are great, and they deserve to get paid," Prodigalidad added. "It's just, I hope it doesn't come at the expense of the riders.”