The Long Island Rail Road entered its third day of a strike Monday, leaving Baldwin commuters and hundreds of thousands of daily riders across the region facing the first full weekday shutdown of service.
The railroad shut down early Saturday after five unions went on strike at 12:01 a.m. following the expiration of a federally mandated cooling-off period. By Monday morning, commuters who typically rely on the LIRR to reach New York City were turning to remote work, shuttle buses, car pools, rideshares and longer drives.
For Baldwin riders who normally use the station at Sunrise Highway and Grand Avenue, the shutdown created immediate uncertainty at the start of the workweek.
The strike involves unions representing signalmen, electricians, clerks, machinists and locomotive engineers, affecting thousands of railroad workers. Union members began picketing Saturday at key locations, including the Babylon and Ronkonkoma LIRR stations and Penn Station.
Kevin Sexton, vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and spokesman for the Long Island Rail Road Bargaining Coalition, said the unions were forced to strike after negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority broke down following two days of around-the-clock talks.
“This was a management-provoked strike, as far as we are concerned,” Sexton said at a news conference early Saturday.
The contract dispute centered largely on wage increases and the structure of compensation. Union leaders sought a 5 percent raise in the fourth year of the proposed contract, while the MTA increased its proposal from 3 percent and included part of the compensation as a lump-sum payment.
Union leaders have argued that lump-sum payments would not permanently increase workers’ base salaries. Sexton also said that tensions worsened late in negotiations when the railroad introduced proposed health care contributions for newly hired employees, an issue he said had not previously been part of bargaining discussions.
“Late in the 11th hour, the railroad decided to throw in health care contributions for new employees, which was never discussed in bargaining,” Sexton said.
Michael Sullivan, general chairman of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, also criticized the MTA’s handling of negotiations.
“This strike did not have to happen,” Sullivan said. “The men and women represented by this coalition followed every step of the legal process and prevailed before two independent expert boards.”
The two sides returned to negotiations Sunday afternoon, after the National Mediation Board, the federal agency overseeing the labor dispute, brought union leaders and MTA officials back together in an effort to restart talks. Negotiations ended around 1:45 a.m. Monday and resumed at 7:30 a.m.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said Sunday that state officials and the MTA remained prepared to continue negotiations, and urged union leaders to return to the bargaining table.
“Let me be clear, I did not want a strike. The MTA did not want a strike,” Hochul said at the MTA’s subway operations control center. “No one wins in a strike. Everyone is hurt.”
MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said the authority remained open to further talks, but could not agree to a contract that would create major financial burdens for riders.
“We were more than willing to meet them halfway on wages,” Lieber said. “We need the unions to respond to our ideas and come up with ideas and work with us.”
In response to the shutdown, the MTA activated a contingency plan that includes limited weekday shuttle bus service for essential workers and commuters unable to work remotely. Shuttle buses began operating around 4 a.m. on Monday during peak commuting hours between six Long Island locations — Bay Shore; Hempstead Lake State Park, near the Lakeview train station; Hicksville; Huntington; Mineola and Ronkonkoma — and subway connection points in Queens, including the Howard Beach-JFK Airport A train station and the Jamaica-179 Street F train station.
MTA President Rob Free said the shuttle buses were intended primarily for essential workers traveling into New York City. “We want to make sure that we get the necessary people into the city so they can perform their functions,” he said.
As the strike moved from a weekend disruption into the workweek, some Baldwin riders said the financial strain could quickly escalate.
“If there is a strike on Monday, my partner and I will lose a significant amount of money,” Baldwin resident Julie Rosado said. “If it lasts more than a day or two, the impact would be critical for us.”
Other commuters said that remote work would help them avoid the worst of the disruption. Jeremy Tice, a software engineer who lives in Baldwin, said he planned to work from home. Before the shutdown, he commuted to Midtown Manhattan three days a week.
“Most of my team is already working remotely,” Tice said. “The benefits of being in an office aren’t worth the headaches of driving in the city or figuring out what bus replacement lines are running.”
The strike also underscored a divide among commuters. While some office workers can shift to remote work, others whose jobs require them to be on site may face lost wages, higher transportation costs or longer commutes.
And some South Shore riders said the MTA’s backup plan left gaps for communities that rely heavily on local LIRR stations, including Baldwin, Bellmore, Freeport and Merrick.
George McCook said he was frustrated that the plan did not include a shuttle stop closer to Baldwin and other South Shore communities. “I am shocked the MTA has no plans to have any buses anywhere near any Nassau County Long Island Rail Road stations,” McCook said. “The closest one is Bay Shore. What is anyone going to do?”
Nassau County riders were urged to consider NICE Bus service as an alternative connection to subway stations in Queens, while commuters were encouraged to use the 7 subway line from Citi Field parking areas. Citi Field is charging $6 per day for parking while the Mets are on the road this week.
Hochul urged commuters who are able to work remotely to stay home during the strike, and added that employers should make accommodations where possible. She also said there is “no legal mechanism” to suspend congestion pricing in New York City during the strike.
The last LIRR strike occurred on June 17, 1994, and lasted two days before a contract settlement was reached. Another strike was narrowly avoided in 2014.
