Hochul in Manhattan as LIRR talks resume
Gov. Kathy Hochul has said she has been involved in the ongoing negotiations between MTA managers and LIRR labor leaders. Credit: Ed Quinn
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday will be a short subway ride away from the meeting that could decide whether the Long Island Rail Road shuts down Saturday.
Hochul, who has said she has been involved in the ongoing negotiations between MTA managers and LIRR labor leaders, is set to be the keynote speaker at the New York State Affordable Housing Conference being held at the Mariott Marquis Times Square Thursday morning.
Later in the morning, MTA negotiators and the heads of five LIRR unions are expected to meet at the MTA’s headquarters at 2 Broadway in Lower Manhattan, about 20 minutes away by the 2 and 3 train.
There was no word whether Hochul planned to attend the negotiations, although she has regularly shown up for MTA meetings at the agency’s offices, across the street from the Bowling Green subway station.
The last time the LIRR came this close to a work stoppage in the summer of 2014, then-Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo showed up to negotiations three days before the strike deadline and closed a deal with unions.
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.
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