MTA: No deal, no new demands on the table
MTA Chief Negotiator Gary Dellaverson said Monday afternoon that contract talks with five Long Island Rail Road unions had stalled after negotiators failed to make progress overnight and throughout the morning.
Dellaverson said the MTA believed late Sunday night that a tentative agreement to end the strike and restore service was close. Negotiators met until about 1:30 a.m., with the MTA presenting several revised proposals. Union leaders asked for more time to review the offers and requested a break until Monday morning.
Both sides returned to negotiations at 7:30 a.m. Monday, but Dellaverson said no new proposals were introduced and little progress was made during discussions that lasted until 11 a.m. The unions then requested another break until 1 p.m., which was later extended until 3 p.m.
He also criticized the unions for what he described as a lack of urgency despite the ongoing disruption to commuters.
Dellaverson denied claims that the MTA had introduced new demands during overnight talks. He said discussions continued to focus mainly on financial terms that had already been under negotiation for several days.
The MTA confirmed that one remaining issue involves healthcare contributions for newly hired employees. Current Long Island Rail Road workers contribute 2% of their base wages toward health care costs, and the MTA is seeking higher contributions from future hires.
