It was manic Monday for thousands of Long Island Rail Road riders trying to get in and out of New York City on the third day of a labor strike that has shut down the nation’s largest commuter railroad.
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This was the first weekday test of the alternate travel plans that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and government officials drew up for the 250,000 commuters who ride the LIRR on workdays.
These plans were unveiled shortly after more than 3,500 LIRR employees walked off the job at 12:01 a.m. Saturday when the long-running contract negotiations between their unions and the MTA broke down.
Upon arriving in Manhattan, many commuters were greeted by the sight of dozens of striking union workers outside Penn Station and other Manhattan travel hubs chanting “No contract, no service! No contract, no peace!”
Even before the Monday morning rush got underway, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was urging commuters to work from home if possible.
“Let’s face the facts: It’s impossible to fully replace LIRR service,” she told reporters at a news conference Sunday.
Negotiators for the five striking labor unions and the MTA, which runs the LIRR, returned to the bargaining table Monday, both sides confirmed.
And, according to Hochul spokesperson Sean Butler, the governor had a meeting with the MTA leadership.
“Governor Hochul continues to closely monitor the LIRR strike and travel alternatives,’ Butler said. “At 11 a.m., she received a briefing from MTA and state leaders on this morning’s commute and the status of negotiations between the MTA and LIRR unions. She is pleased that the unions accepted her invitation to return to the table and encourages both parties to continue negotiating in good faith.”
But there were no immediate reports of progress being made on wage and cost-of-living increases that workers are demanding and which the MTA has been resisting.
In advance of the first LIRR labor strike since 1994, the MTA mapped out emergency transit alternatives, including shuttle buses from Long Island into Queens and additional subway service.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted on X that police officers will be deployed along major roadways and inside subway stations to “ensure traffic is moving, prevent illegal parking and keep commuters safe.”
Mamdani also said inspectors are making sure parking garage operators aren’t jacking up rates for motorists driving in from Long Island by reminding them “that parking rates cannot be increased without the required 60-day notice.”
MTA officials have blamed union leadership for walking away from negotiations, saying the transit agency remained willing to continue bargaining.
“We made it clear we are available if they want to come back and negotiate,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said Sunday. “They walked out and they went on strike.”
The coalition of unions representing roughly 3,500 LIRR engineers, signal workers, machinists and other workers has accused Lieber and MTA leadership of forcing a shutdown by refusing to agree to wage increases after years without raises amid rising living costs.
In a statement Sunday, the unions said the two sides were separated by less than a percentage point before talks broke down Friday night and argued the strike was “completely avoidable.”