Long Island Rail Road unions, MTA in late-night bargaining session to end strike, National Mediation Board says
With the Long Island Rail Road strike about to enter its third day, the National Mediation Board said it summoned the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and union leaders to a meeting to resume talks to end the strike.
The meeting started Sunday evening and is still going on at this hour, as the clock ticks toward a potentially hectic Monday for hundreds of thousands of New York City commuters who rely on the rail service.
The National Mediation Board is a federal agency that handles labor relations for railroads. The goal of the meeting was to restart bargaining between the five LIRR unions and MTA, which together support the busiest commuter rail system in North America.
The NMB's call to a meeting came hours after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appealed to the unions to return to the bargaining table.
"I'll provide refreshments, whatever you like. Just come on back. This is important to show that we have partners who are willing to get to a resolution to this, because it's hurting their members as well as our commuters," Hochul said at a news conference.
MTA made sudden demands, union sources say
Union sources said earlier the MTA had agreed to a 9.5% wage hike for the first three years of the contract and were only 2 percentage points apart on the fourth year, when sources say the MTA suddenly asked for a steep raise in healthcare contributions from new hires from 2-10%
"The raises we were being offered weren't actually raises when you factor in inflation," said Steve Ammirati, with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
"We're looking for a modest raise in our wages," said Raymond Delio, secretary and treasurer for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. "Health insurance should never be on the table. We work hard enough."
Janno Lieber, the MTA's chair and CEO, said the unions are the highest paid railway workers in the country, making well over six figures, alleging they are trying to force a bad deal.
"We are more than willing to meet them halfway in wages. In fact, more than halfway, which is why we put new ideas on the table again and again," Lieber said.
MTA strike contingency plan
Starting at 4 a.m. Monday, the MTA plans to provide shuttle buses to bring Long Island commuters to the New York City subway and back for the duration of the strike.
But the service is only available at six locations.
Hochul said each day of the strike equates to $61 million in economic losses.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, Hochul's opponent in the governor's race, called on her to drop Manhattan congestion pricing tolls during the strike.
The governor said that's not legally possible.
