Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) blamed the Trump administration for the Long Island Rail Road strike, prompting President Donald Trump to respond.
The Long Island Rail Road, which is the largest and busiest commuter railroad in North America, serves roughly 300,000 riders daily. The strike is expected to hamper commuting for the foreseeable future.
Trump continues tradition of donating White House salary Five unions representing about half of the railroad’s workforce couldn’t agree on a pay increase in monthslong negotiations with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. As a result, the strike took effect at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. The MTA said its leaders will continue to negotiate with the unions, but the public transit authority urged riders to be flexible until a deal is reached. This means commuters may need to work from home.
“Unfortunately, there is no substitute for the Long Island Rail Road, and its shutdown will cause severe congestion and delays. Avoid nonessential travel and work from home if possible,” the MTA.
“If you must commute, give yourself ample travel time, no matter which mode you take. There will be congestion on the roads and travel alternatives will be near or at capacity due to an influx of additional riders. ” For now, the MTA will provide shuttle buses to New York City subway stations.
However, the plan isn’t sufficient to address the large volume of commuters en route to the city each weekday. MTA CEO Janno Lieber said the state agency “gave the union everything they said they wanted in terms of pay” and that he believed the unions intended to walk out from the start. By Friday, the MTA and the unions were about 1% apart on wage increases before the talks failed.
Unionized workers wanted a retroactive 9.5% wage increase that covered the last three years and an additional 5% raise for this year. No new negotiations to resolve the wage dispute have been scheduled, according to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen..
“These unions represent the highest paid workers of any railroad in the nation, yet they are demanding contracts that could raise fares as much as 8%, pit workers against one another, and risk tax hikes for Long Islanders. This is unacceptable.
” “For weeks, the MTA has attempted to negotiate in good faith and put multiple fair offers on the table that included meaningful wage increases,” she added, “but you cannot make a deal if one side refuses to engage in good faith. ” The unions had asked the Trump administration to intervene by forming an emergency board to review the dispute.
Two federal panels, appointed by President, calling the Democratic governor a “Dumacrat” for blaming him when he “never even heard about” the strike “until this morning. ” “She just blurted out, ‘it’s President Trump’s fault,'” he wrote.
“No, Kathy, it’s your fault, and now looking over the facts, you should not have allowed this to happen. If you can’t solve it, let me know, and I’ll show you how to properly get things done. ” It comes as Hochul seeks reelection this year. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Trump-endorsed Republican who’s running for governor, criticized his opponent’s lack of leadership leading up to the railroad strike.
“Hundreds of thousands of Long Islanders woke up to chaos because Kathy Hochul failed to do her job,” Blakeman said. “This strike didn’t come out of nowhere — Hochul knew this deadline was coming and still allowed commuters, small businesses, nurses, teachers, and tourists to become collateral damage. ”said his office will continue to “closely monitor the ongoing contract negotiations involving the LIRR. ” He urged New Yorkers to plan for alternative transit options.
This is the first strike affecting the railroad since 1994. The last strike only lasted two days. It remains unclear how long the latest strike will last.
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