"After negotiations between the unions and the MTA stalled on Saturday, around 3,500 LIRR workers walked off the job. According to the MTA's latest service alert, all branches of the Long Island Rail Road are suspended. The trains carry around 250,000 customers each day of the workweek across 947 trains."
"Workers are seeking the same 9.5% retroactive wage increase that the MTA already agreed to for other transit workers. The increase would cover their last three years of employment. Additionally, they're asking for a 5% increase for the current year. According to the unions, LIRR workers haven't been given a raise since 2022."
"Meanwhile, the MTA says that if they give LIRR workers the pay they are demanding, it could result in up to an 8% fare increase for riders. In a statement to the New York Times, two of the unions representing machinists and communications workers that are involved in the strike said that their pay isn't keeping up with the cost of living."
""Waiting four years for a raise is not fair, sustainable or realistic in an era of record inflation and rising housing costs," they said. But in addition to a more general raise, workers are also concerned over the MTA's attempts to get rid of other contract rules that result in higher pay for wor"
Around 3,500 Long Island Rail Road workers began a strike after stalled negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. All LIRR branches were suspended, affecting about 250,000 customers each workday across 947 trains. The strike is the first for LIRR workers since 1994. Workers are seeking a 9.5% retroactive wage increase covering the last three years and an additional 5% increase for the current year. Unions say LIRR workers have not received a raise since 2022 and that pay has not kept up with the cost of living. The MTA warns that meeting the demands could lead to up to an 8% fare increase for riders.
Read at Fast Company
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