Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) was originally planned by five labor unions to go on strike on September 18, but during a press conference on Monday (September 15), they announced a temporary suspension of the strike. They requested President Trump to establish an Emergency Mediation Board to intervene and coordinate the wage dispute. According to federal regulations, the strike will be postponed for at least six months, allowing the daily commuters of Long Island Rail Road to avoid immediate impact this week.
The largest union of Long Island Rail Road, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), held a press conference in Manhattan on Monday, announcing that nearly all of its 600 members had voted in favor of the strike, as they have been working without a new contract since 2022.
However, while the strike was approved by the vote, BLET and four other unions officially requested President Trump to legally establish a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) to arbitrate the wage dispute. Under federal law, once this mechanism is activated, both sides will enter into federal mediation procedures, and the strike action will automatically be postponed for six months.
Gilman Lang, the president of the BLET union, stated that this action does not mean that a strike will not happen, “but that it will not happen now.”
Currently, about 3,700 union members are demanding a 16% wage increase over a three-year period, and they argue that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has only proposed a 9.5% raise, which is far from enough to cope with inflation and rising costs of living.
During the press conference, the union also criticized the New York Governor and MTA for conducting “intimidation propaganda,” attempting to shift the blame of the strike onto the labor side and disrupting the negotiation atmosphere.
In response to the strike crisis, New York Governor Hochul issued a statement on September 15, emphasizing that the Long Island Rail Road carries nearly 300,000 passengers daily, serving as a vital transportation lifeline. Hochul criticized the unions for refusing to enter a binding arbitration process, which threatens the rights of the passengers.
“There is already a fair wage proposal on the negotiating table, and I have instructed MTA to be ready for negotiations at any time,” Hochul stated. “Unfortunately, the five unions have not responded with good faith, instead rejecting arbitration, casting a shadow of strike over the commuters.”
Although the strike has been temporarily postponed, MTA suggests that eligible commuters work from home conditionally to reduce transportation stress.
Negotiations between labor and management are ongoing, and the coming months will depend on whether the federal government officially launches the Presidential Emergency Board, and whether the parties can reach a consensus on wages and contract terms.