The Long Island Rail Road shut down just after midnight Saturday for the first time in three decades after five unions representing about half its workforce walked off the job. The standoff centers on workers’ salaries and healthcare premiums, with the Metropo
NEW YORK — The Long Island Rail Road, North America’s largest commuter rail system, went dark just after midnight Saturday as unionized workers walked off the job for the first time in three decades.
Service was halted on a weekend when many New Yorkers were already planning around the transit rhythm of the city’s sports and downtown life.. Penn Station. the railroad’s Manhattan hub. was largely quiet Saturday afternoon. with only a few dozen people moving through the main concourse.. Some dragged rolling luggage tied to Amtrak departures and arrivals, which were not affected by the strike.
Departure boards that normally display upcoming trains by destination were replaced with listings marked “No Passengers.” Signs posted at customer service windows told riders the railroad was shut down because of a strike.. Access to platforms was blocked with bicycle-rack-style barricades and roll-down gates, while MTA police officers directed people toward other transportation.
The shutdown came after five unions representing about half of the railroad’s workforce struck for the first time since a two-day strike in 1994.. Union leaders said the work stoppage was permitted to begin at 12:01 a.m.. Saturday.. Negotiations had been under way for months over a new contract, with talks stuck on workers’ salaries and healthcare premiums.
Kevin Sexton, national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said no new negotiations had been scheduled early Saturday. “We’re far apart at this point,” Sexton said. “We are truly sorry that we are in this situation.”
MTA Chairman Janno Lieber, meanwhile, said the agency “gave the union everything they said they wanted in terms of pay” and argued the walkout was always the unions’ intention.
As the strike stretched into the weekend, the disruption was already starting to spill beyond commuter schedules.. Madison Square Garden. where the Knicks play in their playoff run and where fans gather above Penn Station. sits directly over the rail hub.. Sports fans planning to see the Yankees and Mets battle this weekend also faced uncertainty about getting to the games.
If the shutdown continues into the workweek, the impact would widen quickly.. The railroad carries about 250. 000 people who commute to and from work each weekday. and riders would be forced to find other ways to travel from Long Island suburbs into the city—likely meaning navigating the region’s congested roads.
The political fight moved alongside the transportation crisis.. Gov.. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, blamed the Trump administration for cutting mediation short and pushing negotiations toward a strike.. Trump. a Republican. denied any role. writing on his Truth Social platform Saturday that he “had nothing to do with the strike” and “never even heard about it until this morning.”
“No. Kathy. it’s your fault. and now looking over the facts. you should not have allowed this to happen. ” Trump wrote. renewing his endorsement of Long Island politician Bruce Blakeman. who is challenging Hochul’s reelection bid.. Trump added. “If you can’t solve it. let me know. and I’ll show you how to properly get things done.”
Hochul urged Long Islanders to work from home if possible.. The MTA said it would provide limited shuttle buses to New York City subway stations. but the plan was not expected to handle all the riders the system normally carries on a workday.. Lisa Daglian, executive director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, said telecommuting is not a universal option.. “You work in construction. you work in the healthcare industry. you work at a school or you’re about to graduate from school. that’s not always possible. ” Daglian said.. “People need to get where they need to go.”
On the picket line, some workers acknowledged the pain the shutdown would bring but held to their wage demands.. Duane O’Connor. picketing Saturday morning at Penn Station. said he regretted the blow to commuters but argued the workforce was seeking fair wages.. “I feel terrible.. Terrible.. This is going to hurt.. This is going to hurt the island. this is going to hurt the city … All we are asking for is fair wages. ” he said.
Other workers described the dispute as part of a longer standoff.. Dave Sumner. a locomotive engineer of 32 years. said he expects Trump or Congress to step in if the strike lasts much longer.. Karl Bischoff. who has been a locomotive engineer for 29 years. said the railroad and the unions have been “pretty much three years without a contract.” Bischoff added that if construction contracts were handled the way the negotiations have been. “this place would be in worse condition.”
The MTA said unions’ initial demands to raise salaries would lead to fare increases and would also affect contract negotiations with other unionized workers.. The unions. representing locomotive engineers. machinists. signalmen and other train workers. said more substantial raises were needed to help workers keep up with inflation and rising living costs.
Riders’ advocates and transit users pushed back against the notion that higher pay demands could be absorbed without cost.. Gerard Bringmann. chair of the LIRR Commuter Council. a rider advocacy group. said in a statement that if the unions get the pay increases they are seeking. “it will come at the expense of our riders who will see next year’s 4% fare increase doubled to 8%.” Bringmann added that “Like the union workers. we too are burdened by the increase in the cost of living here on Long Island.”
There is also political pressure surrounding a looming decision.. With Hochul running for reelection. William Dwyer. a labor relations expert at Rutgers University in New Jersey. said “the pressure might be on the MTA to strike a deal to end the shutdown.” He pointed to Hochul’s electoral stakes and said. “She’s up for reelection. and Long Island is a critical vote for her.” Dwyer added. “So if there’s a significant fare hike. that does not bode well for her on Election Day.”
The pattern around the shutdown is clear in the way the dispute unfolded: months of talks stalled over salaries and healthcare premiums. mediation was blamed as it narrowed. and the unions were then legally able to walk out at 12:01 a.m.. Saturday—after which the agency described the pay issue as already settled while commuters immediately saw “No Passengers” boards and blocked access to platforms.
Long Island Rail Road LIRR strike Penn Station Metropolitan Transportation Authority MTA police Kathy Hochul Donald Trump Janno Lieber union contract negotiations