LIRR strike live updates: LIRR, MTA reach agreement to end 3-day strike, Gov. Hochul announces

MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber spoke with Eyewitness News about the ongoing strike.

Union workers are "on strike against the people who pay the fares. They're on strike against the people who pay taxes, because the consequence of giving them a special deal better than every other MTA worker, that's what they're asking for, is to push fares up and to enforce a tax increase," Lieber claimed.

Lieber also pushed back against the idea that a disagreement over health insurance had prompted the strike, calling it "complete nonsense."

The rail worker's union "rejected every single idea that we put on the table, and there were many," Lieber said.

"We suggested that that that in the future -- not the union workers today, but future hires actually -- pay a little more realistic level of health contribution. These unions are getting their health care at a tiny fraction of what regular New Yorkers pay ... So we said, let's move up the health contributions a little bit for future hires at the Long Island Railroad. They rejected even that ... We propose that they pay 10% of the cost of the health care program that they're receiving in the private sector."

As for the plight of commuters, Lieber said the best bet was for people to work remotely.

"Long Islanders during Covid, more than 95% of them did telework, so most Long Islanders do have experience with telework. And I think a lot of people are going to take advantage of that of that option," he said.

As for resuming service when the strike ends, Lieber said it may take some time.

"It's going to take, you know, a few hours, more than a few hours to get the whole system back on schedule," he said.

Union workers are striking after their demands were not met.

Union workers return to the picket lines on Sunday, but there is still no word on when negotiations between labor leaders and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will resume.

For the region's roughly 300,000 daily Long Island Rail Road riders, the disruption continues. Train service remains suspended following a strike that began early Saturday, bringing the nation's busiest commuter rail system to a standstill.

Approximately 3,500 union workers - about half of the LIRR workforce - walked off the job, marking the railroad's first strike in more than three decades. The labor action follows three years of unsuccessful contract negotiations, two federal interventions, and a last-minute round of bargaining that ultimately failed to produce an agreement.

Five labor unions representing engineers, signal workers, and machinists say they are protesting what they describe as insufficient wage increases. The MTA, however, blames union leaders for the breakdown, saying it has made offers that include pay raises but claims unions have been unwilling to compromise.

To help ease the disruption, the MTA plans to provide free shuttle bus service from six Long Island stations to two subway hubs in Queens. However, the agency acknowledges the service will be limited, with far fewer seats than needed. Additionally, the shuttle buses will not begin operating until Monday and will run only on weekdays.

300,000 commuters are impacted as the strike continues.

In a post on X, Governor Hochul said she has been briefed by MTA officials on alternate service plans and the status of negotiations.

Hochul added that the MTA remains ready to negotiate and encouraged both sides to "work around the clock toward a deal that ends this strike."

However, in an update released Saturday evening, the LIRR unions called it an "open-ended strike" and said no talks had been scheduled for the day. The unions also confirmed to ABC News that, despite claims in Hochul's post, MTA officials had not reached out to them about negotiations.

According to the union statement, talks broke down when the MTA added "healthcare takeaways and other concessionary issues to the table literally in the 11th hour before a midnight strike deadline. These regressive management demands had never been raised previously."

The unions also criticized comments made by MTA officials following the strike announcement and said that, despite the agency saying higher wages for workers would lead to increased fares, the Presidential Emergency Board's expert panel found otherwise.

Workers plan to continue picketing on Sunday, according to the update.

LIRR riders found the doors to ticket offices locked at Jamaica station and big orange barricades preventing access to the tracks. Fans wearing orange and blue headed to the Subway Series had to grab a shuttle. Riders scrambled to find alternate transportation and are not happy about it.

Anthony Carlo has more from New Hyde Park:

Anthony Carlo has the latest from New Hyde Park.

"We don't need this LIRR strike. It makes it harder for everyone else that is trying to get to New York City or Long Island. We need to fix this," said one commuter.

And fix it fast they say - the workweek is right around the corner. Some say the LIRR was the only reliable way for them to get around.

The MTA has established shuttle buses at six locations on Long Island to operate during peak weekday hours.