Long Island Rail Road strike to end as MTA, unions reach tentative deal

The Long Island Rail Road strike is coming to an end after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and unions reached a tentative agreement Monday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced. 

“Tonight, the MTA reached a fair deal with the five LIRR unions that delivers raises for workers while protecting riders and taxpayers. I’m pleased to announce that phased LIRR service will resume beginning tomorrow at noon,” Hochul said in a post on X. 

LIRR service to resume Tuesday

The LIRR, the largest commuter rail in the U.S., serving roughly 250,000 weekday riders, has been suspended since midnight Saturday, when workers officially walked off the job.  

MTA officials said service will resume Tuesday at noon, with hourly service on the Port Washington, Huntington, Ronkonkoma and Babylon branches, followed by full peak service for the afternoon and evening rush hour. 

“Once the rush hour begins, about 4 p.m., we’ll have service on all branches … normal weekday schedule,” LIRR President Rob Free said.

The National Mediation Board summoned union leaders and MTA management to a meeting to resume bargaining Sunday evening and both sides picked up the talks Monday. 

This was the first LIRR strike since June 1994, when conductors and maintenance workers walked off after two and a half years without a contract. Then-Gov. Mario Cuomo and his administration had to step in and impose a contract settlement.   

Full details of the agreement were not immediately provided, but Hochul said at a news conference outside MTA headquarters in Lower Manhattan that it does not raise taxes or fares.

“At a time when everything is going up, we all know the story, I was not going to allow taxes or fares to go up,” the governor said. 

The deal must still be ratified by the five labor unions. 

“Due to the nature of the negotiations, we cannot discuss the specifics,” a union representative said at a separate news conference, adding that the deal was fair. 

Commuters take replacement buses

Commuters felt the effects of the strike Monday, as many woke up extra early to catch replacement shuttle buses to the New York City subway to get to work. 

The buses will remain in effect Tuesday morning, before hourly rail service resumes at noon on the railroad’s four electrified branches.