The three-day strike by the Long Island Rail Road ended late Monday, after five unions and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority reached a tentative agreement, restoring train service following days of disruptions that affected thousands of commuters across Long Island, including many on the North Shore.
The shutdown began at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, after negotiations between the MTA and union representatives failed to produce an agreement before a federally mandated cooling-off period expired. The strike halted train service across the LIRR system for the first time since 1994, forcing commuters to scramble for alternate transportation options while businesses and local governments activated contingency plans.
Among those impacted was Shenel Etheridge, a Glen Cove resident who commutes four days a week from the Glen Street station to her job in Manhattan. Etheridge said that the uncertainty surrounding the strike created stress not only for her commute, but also for her family responsibilities.
Etheridge typically takes the 7:16 a.m. train into the city and the 3:57 p.m. train home. She and her husband have a 9-year-old daughter who attends Landing School and takes part in an after-school child care program.
“We are literally up in the air waiting right now,” Etheridge said before the agreement was reached, explaining that city employees had not yet received guidance on whether they would be permitted to work remotely if the strike continued.
Etheridge said that driving into Long Island City wasn’t an ideal option because in traffic, the trip can take nearly two hours each way. The strike, she said, would likely make congestion significantly worse.
“I’m definitely not taking the bus,” she added.
The disruption also threatened to complicate her family’s schedule. Etheridge said she would likely need to leave work by 3 p.m. in order to reach her daughter’s after-school program before its 6 p.m. pickup deadline. Her husband’s work schedule generally prevents him from helping with pickups.
Despite the inconvenience, Etheridge expressed support for the workers involved in the labor dispute.
“I feel like the workers definitely deserve an increase,” she said. “The cost of everything is going up, so why shouldn’t they have a salary and a pay that reflects that?”
Following Monday night’s agreement, Etheridge said she was relieved the disruption would soon come to an end. “I’m glad the MTA and unions were able to reach a deal that will benefit them in the long run,” she said. “I’m also glad that the strike is over without too much disruption to the lives of commuters like myself.”
At a Monday-evening news conference, Kevin Sexton, vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the spokesman for the Long Island Railroad Bargaining Coalition, announced the tentative agreement. Sexton said the specific terms of the deal would not immediately be released, because union members must still review and vote on the agreement during a 30-day ratification process.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said the agreement balanced fair wages for workers with protecting commuters from additional fare or tax increases.
“At a time when everything is going up, I’m not going to allow taxes or fares to go up,” Hochul said.
The Nassau County Legislature’s minority leader, Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, said the strike had been “profoundly disruptive for thousands of families,” especially in communities heavily dependent on the railroad. Before the agreement was reached, DeRiggi-Whitton had written to NICE Bus CEO Jack Khzouz, requesting temporary shuttle service from the Glen Cove and Port Washington stations in the event that the strike continued.
State Assemblyman Charles Lavine said the work stoppage underscored the importance of mass transit on Long Island. “The strike reminds us of the value of mass transit, particularly the LIRR,” Lavine said.
The strike also renewed discussion about Glen Cove’s ferry terminal. On May 12, the City Council approved resolutions allowing New York Water Taxi to use the terminal to transport employees of NYU Langone Health to and from Manhattan in the event of a prolonged shutdown. The terminal was originally built with $16.6 million in federal grant funding that required the city to operate ferry service for at least two years.
Neither NYU Langone nor New York Water Taxi responded to Herald inquiries about whether the ferry arrangement for hospital workers would continue following the end of the strike.
