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Long Island Rail Road commuters are starting to take shuttle buses and subways into New York City as the largest commuter rail system in North America remains shut down.
The National Mediation Board, which handles labor relations for railroads, summoned both sides Sunday night. No deal was reached after hours of talks. They returned to the negotiating table at 7:30 a.m.
A representative from the union said the negotiations were cordial, and they were making progress.
LIRR strike update
The strike stems from a dispute over the last year of a four-year contract between the MTA and unions.
The MTA agreed to 9.5% wage hikes and was only a percentage point apart on the fourth year. Then, union sources said the MTA suddenly asked for a steep increase in healthcare contributions for new hires from 2% to 10%.
“We’re looking for a modest raise in our wages,” said union representative Raymond Delio. “Health insurance should never be on the table; we work hard enough.”
MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said the unions are made up of the highest-paid railway workers in the United States, making well over six figures.
“We are more than willing to meet them halfway in wages. In fact, more than halfway, which is why we put new ideas on the table again and again,” Lieber said.
Passengers’ experiences on the buses
CBS News New York’s Christina Fan is at the Ronkonkoma station. She said so far, passengers have been able to board the buses with no issues. She said there have been plenty of open seats.
“It’s very inconvenient. Unfortunately or fortunately, I am starting a new job today, so I have to get on the train, I have to go in,” one commuter at the Ronkonkoma station said. “Bad day to start a first day of work.”
Reporter Aziza Shuler is at Howard Beach-JFK Airport station, where the subway platform is already packed with people trying to get to the city.
A teacher who lives in Copiague, Long Island, said he woke up around 2 a.m. to get to the bus by 4:30 a.m. He teaches in Brooklyn and said working remotely was not possible.
“It’s just crazy,” he said. “It’s an inconvenience.”
Transportation reporter Elijah Westbrook is in Jamaica, Queens, where he met a man who said he woke up extra early to commute.
“It was fine because I got up at 3:30 in the morning to beat the traffic on the LIE, so I think those unions should think about giving a little while asking for some and get back to work. They make more than most people that ride the LIRR every day, and I think they’re being greedy about it,” he said.
Workers have also returned to the picket line at LIRR stations.
Is the LIRR running today?
The MTA started providing 275 free shuttle buses from six LIRR stations to Queens as the railroad remains shut down.
These buses can only handle 13,000 daily riders, which is very small in comparison to the more than 250,000 normal daily riders.
The MTA is encouraging people to work from home if they can.
Even if a deal is reached on Monday, sources told Westbrook that service won’t resume immediately.
The railroad would still need at least a day to inspect tracks, equipment, signals and get crews situated before full service could return.
Former Department of Transportation Commissioner Sam Schwartz said the ripple effects of the commuter nightmare will be far-reaching.
Subway riders will see bigger crowds, and roads across Long Island will be busier.
“Those from the South Shore are going to see the Belt Parkway backed up like they haven’t seen in a long time. The Gowanus will be impacted. Buses will be impacted,” he said. “And we’ll have to grin and bear it.”
