Overview

• The MTA urged remote work and detailed peak-hour shuttle buses every 10 minutes from Bellmore, Hicksville and Ronkonkoma to Queens subway connections, with prorated September refunds pending board approval.
• A walkout by five unions representing roughly half the workforce could start at 12:01 a.m. on Sept. 18 and halt service for about 270,000–300,000 daily riders.
• The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen is finishing a strike authorization vote Monday as the unions plan a public update, and the MTA says they have not returned to negotiations.
• Unions say the 9.5% raise over three years fails to match living costs and note no raises since 2022, while the MTA cites average pay near $160,000 and seeks changes to overtime-inflating work rules.
• Gov. Kathy Hochul blamed the White House for the mediation release enabling a strike window, a claim union leaders called “simply false,” and no party has sought a Presidential Emergency Board.