Day 3 of LIRR strike brings no clear sign of a deal as NYC commuters cope
Editor's note: The LIRR unions and MTA reached a tentative deal to end the strike on Monday evening. Below is our coverage of Day 3 of the strike prior to the announcement.
There's still no clear sign that a deal is in reach to end the Long Island Rail Road strike
Commuters are taking shuttle buses and subways into and out of New York City Monday as the LIRR, the largest commuter rail system in North America, remained shut down.
It's the first weekday of a strike by workers, which began on Saturday.
Thousands of workers returned to picket lines at LIRR stations Monday. They're seeking a pay raise that they say keeps up with inflation.
The MTA is utilizing some 250 shuttle buses with roughly 13,000 seats. That's a small percentage of the 250,000 people who normally ride the LIRR. That said, only a fraction of those seats were taken - just 2,159 used the shuttles for the morning rush, according to the MTA.
The National Mediation Board, which handles labor relations for railroads, summoned both sides Sunday night. No deal was reached after hours of talks. They returned to the negotiating table at 7:30 a.m.
That means commuters opted to either work from home or drive to New York City.
"No sense of urgency of getting this resolved"
Monday grew somewhat heated, and not just because of the temperature. Union workers shouted their demands, and riders navigated lengthy commutes.
There were loud demands on the picket lines as commuters endured the fallout.
"We presented a couple of variations on a theme," MTA negotiator Gary Dellaverson said Monday afternoon. "The unions said they needed more time and they weren't presented to respond substantively this morning at 1:30."
Negotiations resumed at 7:30 a.m.
"No new proposals took place this morning. Everything that has been discussed is what we talked about last night," Dellaverson said.
Negotiations broke off at 11 a.m. and resumed at 3 p.m.
Dellaverson said hopes for a quick resolution may have been "overly optimistic."
"Where we are right now is I think that we continue to have optimism that we can get this done, but it's not at the same level. And I think the unions have shown us that they have no sense of urgency of getting this resolved," Dellaverson said.
Union reps say "it's constant back and forth"
Kevin Sexton spoke about the progress of the negotiations from the union perspective Monday afternoon.
"Unfortunately, from our perspective, in true MTA fashion, it's take two steps forwards, and one step back. Every time we think we're close to a deal, it's always a counter," Sexton said. "The issue that we have now is when we counter, then there's going to be another counter, and another counter, and another counter, and another counter, and another counter."
"As soon as the games are over, I promise you, we'll be able to do what our members like to do best, and that's to serve the region," Sexton added.
The unions are demanding that wages keep pace with inflation. The MTA says will force fare increases and an unaffordable precedent. Both sides were less than two percentage points apart in the fourth year of a contract.
"Non-union managers have received 13% pay raises. Everyone is sympathetic, how expensive it is to live in New York, but these raises are in line with the cost of living," ticket vending machine agent Rob Licker said.
"It's definitely not fair. But it's fair to us either, and it can be easily ended," locomotive engineer Mark Kosofsky said. "We don't want to be here any more than than they want to be on the buses."
"This is money that they owe us. You want to talk future, that's later. They owe us four years," ticket agent Greg Adamo said. "We can't stress enough - we do care about the public. We do care about how they get to work."
Is the LIRR running today?
No, the Long Island Rail Road is suspended for the duration of the strike.
The MTA is encouraging people to work from home if they can.
LIRR strike update
The LIRR strike stems from a dispute over the final year of a four-year contract between the MTA and unions.
The MTA agreed to 9.5% wage hikes and was only a percentage point apart on the fourth year. Then, union sources said the MTA suddenly asked for a steep increase in healthcare contributions for new hires from 2% to 10%.
"We're looking for a modest raise in our wages," said union representative Raymond Delio. "Health insurance should never be on the table; we work hard enough."
Lieber said the unions are made up of the highest-paid railway workers in the United States, making well over six figures.
"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," he said.
Passengers' experiences on the buses
Lieber said there was a pretty light turnout Monday morning, and they had more than enough buses to accommodate those who needed them.
CBS News New York's Christina Fan was at the Ronkonkoma station Monday morning. She said passengers were able to board the replacement buses with no issues, with plenty of open seats.
"It's very inconvenient. Unfortunately or fortunately, I am starting a new job today, so I have to get on the train," one commuter at the Ronkonkoma station said. "Bad day to start a first day of work."
Reporter Aziza Shuler was at Howard Beach-JFK Airport station, where the subway platform was packed with people trying to get to the city.
A teacher who lives in Copiague, Long Island, said he woke up around 2 a.m. to get to the bus by 4:30 a.m. He teaches in Brooklyn and said working remotely was not possible.
"It's just crazy," he said. "It's an inconvenience."
Transportation reporter Elijah Westbrook was in Jamaica, Queens, where he met a man who said he woke up extra early to commute.
"It was fine because I got up at 3:30 in the morning to beat the traffic on the LIE, so I think those unions should think about giving a little while asking for some and get back to work. They make more than most people that ride the LIRR every day, and I think they're being greedy about it," he said.
How long to get back on track if there's a deal?
Even if a deal is reached on Monday, sources told Westbrook that service won't resume immediately.
The railroad would still need at least a day to inspect tracks, equipment, signals and get crews situated before full service could return.
Former Department of Transportation Commissioner Sam Schwartz said the ripple effects of the commuter nightmare will be far-reaching.
Subway riders will see bigger crowds, and roads across Long Island will be busier.
"Those from the South Shore are going to see the Belt Parkway backed up like they haven't seen in a long time. The Gowanus will be impacted. Buses will be impacted," he said. "And we'll have to grin and bear it."
