Tentative agreement reached in the Long Island Rail Road negotiations

NEW YORK (WABC) -- A tentative agreement has been reached in the Long Island Rail Road negotiations. A strike has been averted, officials said. [br /][br /]At a news conference Gov. Andrew Cuomo thanked the representatives for the union and the MTA. "It is my pleasure to announce that we have settled a four-year dispute dealing with the Long Island Rail Road labor union," Cuomo said. "This is a compromise by both parties after four long years."[br /][br /]"We want to be as fair to the employees as possible. Obviously, the economy of the MTA is very important to us. We wanted fair compensation for valued employees."[br /][br /]There was a "high degree of agita," said Cuomo in response to a question.[br /][br /]MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast called it a "fair and reasonable contract." [br /][br /]"Both sides have compromised to reach an agreement that gives our employees the raises they deserve while also providing for the MTA's long-term financial stability," he said.[br /][br /]United Transportation Union President Anthony Simon said that the agreement was ultimately about the riders. "This is a fair contract .. It was a long road, it was a tough road," he said. "It is definitely a ratifiable, fair contract."[br /][br /]The three did not go into the details of the contract itself, saying they wanted time to explain the terms to union members and workers; 5,400 workers make up the eight unions involved. [br /][br /]A press release following the news conference described the tentative contract:[br /][li][br /]Existing LIRR employees will receive 17 percent raises over six and a half years. [/li][br /][li]All employees will for the first time contribute to their health insurance costs. Workers will pay 2%. New employees will pay 4%. [/li][br /][li]New employees will have different wage progressions and pension plan contributions. [/li][br /][li]Retroactive pay averaging $22,000[/li][br /][br /]The contract will not impact MTA fares. The tentative agreement is subject to approval by the unions' executive boards, ratification by members, and the MTA Board. [br /][br /]MTA and union officials returned to the bargaining table Wednesday under pressure from Cuomo, who joined the discussions. They worked through the night and met again Thursday morning, trying to head off a threatened strike Sunday of LIRR workers. "We're committed," Simon said at the time. "We are not leaving until we can get this done."[br /][br /][post ID="195836" /][br /][br /]The state's comptroller said earlier this week that a strike could cost the region's economy as much as $450 million a day. MTA officials also launched a PR offensive Wednesday, releasing an open letter titled "When is Enough Enough?" and a radio ad that outlined the latest contract offer the MTA has put on the table.[br /][br /]"The possible LIRR strike would be highly disruptive to the people and economy of Long Island," Cuomo said Wednesday. "I want to make sure I have done everything I can possibly do to avert a strike, so I will now convene a meeting at 10 a.m. at my Manhattan office to continue discussions."[br /][br /]The sides' previous meeting on Monday lasted barely 45 minutes and was followed by a 48-hour impasse over health care contributions the MTA wants from future employees. [br /][br /]The unions had threatened to strike at 12:01 a.m. Sunday. A walkout would have affected nearly 300,000 riders daily, creating a commuting nightmare in and around the nation's largest city.[br /][br /]The MTA last week revealed plans for school buses to take commuters from some Long Island stations to subway stops in New York City, the opening of large park-and-ride lots at Citi Field and Aqueduct racetrack, and a public relations effort aimed at encouraging people to work from home.[br /][br /]The railroad's unions have been working without a contract since 2010. President Barack Obama appointed two emergency boards to help resolve the dispute, but the MTA rejected both nonbinding recommendations. The emergency board's last proposal called for a 17 percent raise over six years while leaving work rules and pensions alone. The MTA offered a 17 percent wage increase over seven years and the pension and health care concessions.[br /][br /][i]The Associated Press contributed to this report.[/i][br /] [br /]---[br /][br /]Eyewitness News wants to know what you think about the agreement. Tweet us using the [url HREF="https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=%23DearLIRR&src=typd" TARGET="https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=%23DearLIRR&src=typd" REL=""]hashtag #DearLIRR[/url] or post in the comments below.[br /][br /]You will also find traffic on our news apps for the iPad, iPhones and Androids. 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