LIRR strike threat: Contract talks drag on in final hours before walkout that could strand 300,000 daily commuters | amNewYork

"MTA leadership and representatives of five Long Island Rail Road unions returned to the bargaining table late Friday morning and were still negotiating around 2 p.m., less than 12 hours until the coalition of rail workers has said they will go on strike if their demands for wage increases are not met. If the walkout happens, some 300,000 daily commuters who rely upon the LIRR would need to find an alternate way to get around. Officials have said the MTA's announced contingency plans including shuttle buses to replace train service would not be enough to alleviate expected traffic."

"The talks followed a separate two-hour bargaining session between the MTA and TWU Local 100 the union representing the largest number of agency employees, nearly 40,000 earlier Friday morning. TWU is also negotiating its new contract, with the current one expiring on Saturday; the union has yet to announce any potential job actions. The latest Talks resumed on May 15 following a marathon of nearly 12 hours of negotiations on Thursday."

"Gary Dellaverson, the MTA's outside labor counsel and chief negotiator, told reporters Thursday night that it was a long and relatively frustrating day. However, he said he remains confident that a resolution can be reached before the strike deadline at 12:01 a.m. on May 16. I'm always optimistic that this process that I've been engaged in for basically my entire adult life can result in a successful resolution, Dellaverson said. I believe that as long as you come in in good faith and you work hard towards a resolution, you can find a common ground, you can find an agreement."

"But again, as everybody knows, dancing takes two partners. Dellaverson said that MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber joined the May 14 talks, which he said helped with setting the tone of how important this is to the agency. Meanwhile, Kevin Sexton, vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET),"

MTA leadership and representatives from five Long Island Rail Road unions returned to bargaining late Friday morning and were still negotiating around 2 p.m., with less than 12 hours remaining before a planned strike. A strike would affect about 300,000 daily commuters who rely on LIRR service. MTA officials said contingency plans, including shuttle buses, would not be sufficient to prevent severe traffic problems. Talks followed an earlier two-hour bargaining session between MTA and TWU Local 100, representing nearly 40,000 agency employees, whose contract expires Saturday. Negotiations resumed May 15 after nearly 12 hours of talks on Thursday. MTA labor counsel Gary Dellaverson said he remained confident a resolution could be reached before the 12:01 a.m. May 16 deadline, emphasizing good-faith bargaining and shared agreement.

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