Friday, November 7, 2025
A potential Long Island Rail Road strike that was looming on Sept. 18 has been paused for now after the five unions threatening to halt service announced they are requesting intervention from the Presidential Emergency Board.
The move means negotiations will continue under federal mediation, postponing any immediate threat of a strike. On Sept. 16, President Donald Trump reportedly signed an executive order to appoint an emergency board to oversee the contract dispute between the LIRR and its unions.
The development comes amid mounting tension between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the five remaining unions that have yet to reach a contract agreement with the railroad. These unions represent more than half of the LIRR’s workforce, and their decision earlier this month to pursue a strike authorization alarmed the MTA and the commuters who depend on the system every day.
More than 270,000 daily riders would be affected by a walkout. While the latest action delays that possibility, the disputes over wages and work rules remain unresolved, leaving the long-term outlook uncertain.
The MTA quickly responded to the unions’ decision.
"After months of radio silence, these outlier unions have finally admitted that they weren't serious about negotiating," said John J. McCarthy, the MTA chief of policy and external relations, in a statement. "They never had a plan to resolve this at the bargaining table.
"If these unions wanted to put riders first, they would either settle or agree to binding arbitration," he continued. "And if they don't want to strike, they should say so -- and finally show up to the negotiating table. This cynical delay serves no one."
During a Sept. 11 news conference at Penn Station, MTA President Rob Free said negotiations had broken down after the National Mediation Board expedited the release of the unions. That opened the door to a strike that could have begun at 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 18.
The last LIRR strike occurred in 1994.
“We have attempted to negotiate in good faith with these five remaining labor organizations,” Free said. “A fair offer has been made and accepted by the majority of all the other represented employees at the Long Island Rail Road, including the largest union, SMART, and four others.”
The five unions still holding out include the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and the Transportation Communications Union. Collectively, they form the Long Island Rail Road Bargaining Coalition, representing 55 percent of the unionized workforce at the LIRR.
According to the MTA, its current proposal calls for a 9.5 percent wage increase over three years. But the unions are pushing for an additional 6.5 percent raise on top of the existing deal, without giving ground on work rules that management says are ‘outdated.’
“Locomotive engineers make over $49 an hour currently. The average salary is over $160,000 a year, with top earners above $300,000,” Free said. “That’s largely the result of antiquated work rules that allow multiple days’ pay for one day of work. And now they want a bigger raise while keeping those rules in place.”
The BRS’s 809 members voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike as talks stalled. About 600 BLET workers also approved a work stoppage.
“[The] Long Island Rail Road has not negotiated in good faith and has not been serious from the onset of bargaining,” said BRS Vice President of Commuters and Passengers Tim Tarrant in a Sept. 11 statement. “[The] LIRR’s on-time performance has never been better and it’s time for them to recognize their hard-working men and women by offering a fair contract that keeps up with the cost of living in New York.”
BRS General Chairman Mike Sullivan echoed the frustration.
“Our members will not stand for a contract that results in a loss of real wages, and we are prepared to use all means available to achieve a fair contract,” he said in the same statement.
While the Taylor Law prohibits public employees in New York from striking, LIRR workers are covered under the federal Railway Labor Act. That law allows for strikes under certain conditions, though it also provides a process for federal mediation—such as the Presidential Emergency Board request now underway.
"At today’s press conference, the [Long Island Rail Road Bargaining Coalition] announced that each union’s strike ballot was overwhelmingly in favor of using a legal strike to settle the dispute," said BRS Communications Representative Justin Pier in a statement. "However, considering Governor Hochul’s reckless behavior, the LIRRBC unilaterally decided to restrict her reckless intent to use hard-working unionized workers to punish the public. Consequently, the LIRRBC requested a Presidential Emergency Board under the Railway Labor Act. The RLA requires both sides to exhaust every stage of negotiation and mediation before the last resort of using self-help, which, for us, is a strike.
"The PEB is the final step in that process, wherein a neutral federal board will be appointed by the President to investigate the dispute and issue recommendations," Pier concluded.
The MTA has repeatedly stressed its desire to resolve the dispute without disruption and was preparing contingency plans in case of a walkout. The plan would have included limited shuttle bus service from three LIRR stations—Bellmore, Hicksville, and Ronkonkoma—running every 10 minutes during peak hours to subway connections in Queens.
Riders were also encouraged to use Nassau Inter-County Express buses for connections to Jamaica and Flushing.
“We couldn’t possibly replace the full service that LIRR runs every day, but we are trying our best to accommodate those essential workers in an effort to not leave anyone stranded,” said Shanifah Rieara, MTA senior adviser for communications and policy.
The MTA also announced that monthly ticket holders would be eligible for prorated refunds on strike days, subject to board approval.
The strike would have also affected the upcoming Ryder Cup, scheduled for Sept. 23–28 at Bethpage Black.
“Does the union really want to disrupt that and have that on their heads—that they caused Long Island to miss out on this huge economic boom?” Free asked.
With the gap between the MTA’s offer and the unions’ demands unresolved, the dispute is far from settled. The intervention may provide some breathing room, but the risk of a future work stoppage remains unless both sides can settle their differences.
This story will be updated if necessary.
