A Long Island Rail Road conductor walks in a westbound...

A Long Island Rail Road conductor walks in a westbound train in Queens on Tuesday. Through last week, Bioreference Laboratories, a New Jersey-based company, had been administering COVID-19 antibody tests to employees at various LIRR facilities. Credit: Charles Eckert

Long Island Rail Road labor leaders are upset about several changes in the MTA’s COVID-19 employee testing program that they said have caused unnecessary inconvenience and confusion for thousands of workers.

But Metropolitan Transportation Authority leaders said Wednesday the issues have been sorted out, and that a ramped-up testing effort will begin next week.

Through last week, Bioreference Laboratories, a New Jersey-based company, had been administering COVID-19 antibody tests at various LIRR employee facilities. Anthony Simon, general chairman of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers — the LIRR’s largest union — said the program was operating successfully, with as many as 1,000 workers being tested per day, either before or after their shifts, or during breaks.

Different from diagnostic tests, which can determine if a person is infected with COVID-19, antibody tests can tell someone whether they previously had the coronavirus and since have recovered. A blood sample is used to identify the presence of proteins produced by the body to fight the infection.

On Monday night, the MTA — the LIRR’s parent agency — notified employees that the on-site testing program was being scrapped, and that, starting Wednesday, workers instead could get tested at Northwell GoHealth Urgent Care facilities.

Just over 24 hours later, MTA Chief Safety Officer Patrick Warren, in an email to employees, notified them that, “Due to the high demand for antibody testing, Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care will not be able to provide testing at this time.” Testing appointments previously made would be canceled.

“We hope to have this issue resolved in the coming days. We are committed to providing access to antibody testing at no cost to all employees,” Warren said in the email. “We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.”

Then, on Wednesday afternoon, Warren, responding to questions from Newsday about the testing program, said in a statement that “after overcoming initial capacity issues that have generally impacted testing programs around NYC,” the MTA was launching an expanded antibody testing program Monday. Employees will be able to get tested both at 52 Northwell Health urgent care facilities in the region, as well as by Bioreference workers stationed at various MTA work locations.

"We will believe it when we see it," said Simon, who called the MTA’s handling of the antibody testing program “absolutely disgraceful.” Employees, including those who had made appointments to be tested, weren’t notified about the changes until hours before they were enacted, he said.

“It was working. It was a success. … You don’t even explain to us why you took it out,” Simon said of the original testing program. “Is no one held accountable? This is how you treat heroes?”

Christopher Natale, general chairman of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen Local 56, similarly said his union was “confused as to why the MTA would remove testing to its essential employees that are ordered to work, endanger themselves and their families’ lives without an explanation.”

Northwell spokesman Terry Lynam attributed the confusion over the testing protocols to “miscommunication.”

“There were some concerns about supplies,” Lynam said.

The MTA last month entered into a partnership with Northwell to provide medical treatment, including testing, to employees. The MTA compensates Northwell for each test performed, Lynam said.

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