North America's largest commuter rail system was shut down on Saturday after unionized workers in the New York City area went on strike. The Long Island Rail Road, which serves the city's eastern suburbs, ceased operations early Saturday after five unions representing about half its workforce walked off the job. The two sides have been negotiating for months on a new contract, and the Trump administration had even interceded to try and broker a deal, but the unions were legally allowed to strike starting at 12:01am on Saturday. Kevin Sexton of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen said no new negotiations have been scheduled. "We're far apart at this point," Sexton said early Saturday. "We are truly sorry that we are in this situation."
Janno Lieber, chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said the agency "gave the union everything they said they wanted in terms of pay" and that to him it was apparent the unions always intended to walk out. The walkout, the first for the LIRR since a two-day strike in 1994, promises to cause headaches for some sports fans planning to see the crosstown baseball rivals the New York Yankees and Mets battle this weekend, or to watch the NBA's New York Knicks playoff run at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. Both sports venues have dedicated LIRR stops.
If the shutdown continues past the weekend, the roughly 250,000 people who ride the system to and from work each weekday will be forced to find alternative routes into New York City from its Long Island suburbs. For many, that likely means navigating the region's notoriously congested roads. "People are still going to commute, but if everybody starts driving now, the traffic is only going to get worse," said one commuter. The MTA has said it will provide limited shuttle buses to NYC subway stations, but that contingency plan wasn't envisioned to handle all the riders the system normally carries on a workday.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is urging Long Islanders to work from home if possible, but many workers still need to show up in person, said Lisa Daglian of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, a commuter advocacy group. "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," she said of telecommuting. The most recent contract talks have stalled on the question of worker's salaries and health care premiums.
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