LIRR strike could start this weekend, strand nearly 300K commuters as fight gets heated

A Long Island Rail Road strike could strand nearly 300,000 commuters starting this weekend as five labor unions and MTA leaders are at odds over wage increases for the union workers.

The looming work stoppage could start as early as Saturday at 12:01 a.m. as MTA chief Janno Lieber and Gov. Kathy Hochul this week simply advised riders to work from home if workers walk off the job.

“I want to make sure commuters are not inconvenienced and if they have that option [to work from home] they may have to exercise it,” Hochul said Wednesday at an unrelated event at Jones Beach.

A Long Island Rail Road train with open doors at Penn Station. Christopher Sadowski

“We do not want to inconvenience commuters, absolutely not, but this is the reality on the ground right now and I want to be very transparent with all them to let them have time to plan for this,” she added.

The ongoing divide comes down to what pay bump workers should receive over the next several years, with union leaders claiming they need higher salaries to keep up with inflation.

The coalition of labor groups and the MTA were meeting Thursday.

“We’re not asking for the moon and stars. We’re asking for an agreement that keeps pace with inflation,” a source at one of the unions involved in the negotiations told The Post Wednesday. “They’re coming up with lump sum payments rather than putting the money in our wages.”

The sides have agreed on retroactive raises of 3% in 2023, 3% in 2024 and 3.5% in 2025, but remain apart on the unions’ request for a 5% pay raise in 2026.

Gary Dellaverson, the MTA’s lead labor negotiator, said Wednesday that in recent meetings the authority has offered individual lump sum payments over the remaining 12 months of the contract rather than the wage increases the unions are seeking.

But union officials argue that lump sum payments do not raise base pay and would leave workers effectively stuck at 2025 wage levels when the next round of bargaining begins.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she wants both sides to reach a middle ground. Stephen Yang for NY Post

Hochul said during her press conference the cash-strapped agency needs to strike a deal that “makes sense for taxpayers and commuters.”

“I’m not looking to raise fares or raise taxes so we need to find a common sense solution here and I do believe that it requires both sides, both sides, to move from where they are to find a middle ground.”

If a strike takes place, limited shuttle buses would be available to essential workers and those who can’t telecommute on weekdays, according to the MTA.