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(Washington, DC) — President Trump has created an emergency board to investigate the Long Island Railroad dispute. That’s at the request of union leaders who’ve rejected a three-year contract offer by the MTA.
Thousands of workers were planning to walk off the job September 18th but White House involvement pushes off a strike at least until mid-January and possibly until mid-May. A strike would impact 270-thousand daily riders on the LIRR which is the busiest commuter rail line in the nation.
The MTA says “After months of radio silence, these outlier unions have finally admitted that they weren’t serious about negotiating. They never had a plan to resolve this at the bargaining table.” The action by the union delays any potential strike. The MTA says, “This cynical delay serves no one,” and that Union Leaders should show up to the bargaining table.
The Unions say service will continue as usual, as the board carefully reviews the facts, hears the parties, and issues recommendations for a fair and sustainable agreement. One of the main sticking points is raises over a several year span. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen are asking for a 16-percent increase over the course of four years. Union officials say they’re accounting for a modest adjustment of other bargaining units but want their contracts to keep pace with inflation.
