MTA negotiator: Lieber's presence at table helpful

One of the most significant developments coming out of Thursday's 12-hour bargaining session between MTA managers and LIRR union leaders was who was in the room — namely, the head of the MTA.

For months, the unions have been critical of chairman and CEO Janno Lieber's publicly weighing in on negotiations, despite not having attended any of the talks.

On Thursday, MTA officials revealed that Lieber had a seat at the table for the day's meeting.

MTA chief negotiator Gary Dellaverson said having the big boss at the table "is always helpful."

"I think it's helpful in terms of setting the tone of how important this is to the MTA," Dellaverson told reporters upon leaving the building Thursday night. "I think it was helpful … to say this is an area of critical importance to the entire organization and not just the Long Island Rail Road, but the entire organization because of the interconnectedness of all these groups."

Those groups include the MTA's largest labor organization, the Transport Workers Union, whose more than 40,000 members are also looking for a new contract.

The heads of the five LIRR unions, which represent about 3,500 workers, have previously suggested the MTA hasn't taken their demands seriously because their membership doesn't compare to other unions.

Asked if Lieber's attendance made any difference at Thursday's negotiations, locomotive engineers union vice president Kevin Sexton declined to answer.

"I'm not going to go into all that stuff," Sexton said. "I don't want to complicate the negotiations. They're complicated enough as it is."

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.