This story was updated Wednesday, Jul 16 at 10 p.m. ET.
Talks Wednesday afternoon between New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) did not result in an agreement, though both sides have agreed to resume talks Thursday at 10 a.m. ahead of potential strike.
Representatives from LIRR and MTA have repeatedly hit an impasse in contract negotiations for railroad workers. If no agreement is reached, the workers’ unions have threatened to strike beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m. ET.
LIRR provides transportation to about 300,000 people on a daily basis. Commuters between Long Island and New York City rely on the service, as do many weekenders who head out to enjoy the island’s beaches.
LIRR has about 5,400 workers represented by eight different unions.
United Transportation Union President Anthony Simon, who is acting as the unions’ chief negotiator, blamed the timing of the strike — in the midst of peak summer travel season to Long Island communities like the Hamptons — on the MTA.
“They continue to insist the unions agree to a contract worth less than the value of the compromise recommendations of two Presidential Emergency Boards,” Simon said in a statement. “We are willing to accept the recommendations. MTA is not. MTA admitted to us that they know that historically, the PEB recommendations are the basis for settlement. They told us they understand that the only way they can break this historical precedent is to take a strike. That is the course that they have chosen.”
The MTA, meanwhile, began broadcasting details of contract offerings to the public Wednesday saying the lack of an agreement, and looming strike, was because of the unions’ unwillingness to compromise. Radio and newspaper ads highlighted salaries and suggested raises, saying the LIRR workers are some of the highest paid in transportation in the country.
A strike would disrupt families and businesses across L.I. We have asked #LIRR unions to resume negotiations immediately. #StrikeADeal
— MTA (@MTA) July 16, 2014
The MTA has offered a 17% raise for employees over the next seven years, and a 2% employee contribution to healthcare costs. The unions are asking for a 17% raise over six years, with no changes to benefits. The disagreement over employee contributions to benefits has been a key sticking point.
“The only way to prevent a strike is for both sides to negotiate a fair and reasonable settlement at the bargaining table. We have asked the LIRR unions to resume negotiations immediately,” the MTA said in a statement.
The measured tone of the authority’s statements, however, is in contrast to the message to the public; the MTA attacked the unions in a new radio and newspaper ad Wednesday, asking “When is enough, enough?”
Coming up with alternatives if the strike goes through has proven more than difficult.
“We will not be able to provide enough alternate capacity to serve all of the people who ride the LIRR,” the MTA said. To mitigate the transportation disaster, the MTA has contacted 1,400 companies asking them to allow employees to work remotely, and it has outlined limited shuttle service by bus.
Some citizens are taking alternative transportation into their own hands. Wealthy city dwellers who spend their weekends in the Hamptons have been reserving transportation by helicopter or plane in order to avoid increased car traffic.
“Business is already increasing because people are afraid of the strike,” Melissa Tomkiel, cofounder of Manhattan-based seaplane firm Fly The Whale, told the New York Post. “They are booking two weeks in advance to be guaranteed a seat.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is planning to leave for vacation in Italy, but his office has been making an effort to be visibly involved in dealing with the threat of a strike.
Mayor @BilldeBlasio is briefed by senior staff and cabinet members on preparedness plans in case of an #LIRRstrike. pic.twitter.com/cL0vCUSZAF
— Mayoral Photo Office (@NYCMayoralPhoto) July 16, 2014
Talks are expected to resume between the MTA and LIRR Wednesday afternoon, after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo urged both sides to do so. Although he is instrumental in pushing for an agreement, Cuomo downplayed the threat to reporters Tuesday.
“We’ve had strikes before, right? And we’ve survived. And we’ve had disasters and we know what that’s like. Hurricane Sandy was a disaster, we’ve gone through other disasters. This is not a disaster. A real pain, maybe. But not a disaster,” he said.
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Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/07/16/lirr-mta-strike/
Looming Transit Strike Could Wreak Havoc in New York City
lirr, long island, MTA, New York city, transit strike, travel, Travel & Leisure, U.S., US & World, Work & Play
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