Overview

• Together representing roughly half of the railroad’s 7,000 unionized employees, the five unions include engineers and signalmen whose absence would shut down all LIRR service.
• The dispute centers on pay, with most workers accepting about 9.5%–9.8% over three years while the bargaining committee seeks roughly 15%–16% to keep pace with inflation, a cost the MTA says it cannot absorb without larger fare hikes.
• The MTA’s contingency plan offers limited peak-hour shuttle buses from Bellmore to the A line at Howard Beach and from Hicksville and Ronkonkoma to the 7 at Mets–Willets Point, and officials concede buses cannot replace 940 daily trains; prorated monthly refunds are planned pending board approval.
• Gov. Kathy Hochul has not requested a Presidential Emergency Board or invoked state strike-ban tools, and she faulted the Trump administration’s National Mediation Board for ending mediation as unions dispute that account.
• Potential impacts extend to 270,000–300,000 daily riders and the Ryder Cup at Bethpage, with local businesses warning of significant losses if rail access is suspended.