BreakingLIRR unions, MTA resume talks on day 3 of strike | Live updates
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'Cautiously optimistic': LIRR unions, MTA resume talks on day 3 of strike | Live updates

Long Island Rail Road workers went on strike as of 12:01 a.m. Saturday after not reaching a new contract deal with the MTA.

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Last updated: Monday, May 18, 2026 12:36PM GMT
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NEW YORK (WABC) -- Negotiations are once again underway between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and a coalition of five striking Long Island Rail Road unions.

On Saturday, talks ground to a halt. By Sunday, the National Mediation Board stepped in, summoning management and workers to a meeting in Manhattan.

The federal labor agency governs labor relations for railroads and airlines.

CURRENT STATUS: Talks resumed at 7:30 a.m. Monday. LIRR unions remain on the picket lines.

Earlier on Sunday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul called for talks to resume to end the strike by LIRR unionized workers, which has shut down the Long Island Rail Road, North America's largest commuter rail system.

The five unions represent about half its workforce, including engineers, signalmen and trainmen.

The unions and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority have been negotiating for months on a new contract, with talks stalled over workers' salaries and healthcare premiums.

Hochul urged the roughly 250,000 people who ride the system to work from home on Monday, if they can.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
May 16, 2026, 9:25 AM GMT

MTA says wage increase could result in 8% fare hike

Five unions representing 3,500 workers, including engineers, signalmen and trainmen, are threatening to strike on May 16.

The unions and LIRR have agreed to a retroactive 9.5% wage increase covering the last three years. But, the sticking point remains an additional 5% raise the workers want beginning this year.

The MTA says that's too high. The MTA has also pushed back about some of the lucrative penalty pay workers receive when tasked with certain jobs during a shift.

MTA officials say if they give LIRR workers what they are asking for, it could result in a fare hike as high as 8%.

May 16, 2026, 9:25 AM GMT

BLET and LIRR unions hold day of action

The LIRR unions held a large rally on Saturday at the LIRR station in Massapequa.

They called it a "day of action to protest the MTA's inaction."

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