Possible LIRR strike could happen Saturday if no deal is reached | Live updates

MTA negotiators say there's no reason a deal can't be reached Thursday to prevent a strike.

But LIRR workers say they are determined to walk off their jobs this weekend if a deal isn't reached.

Around 3,500 workers are threatening to walk off the job on Saturday just after midnight.

If a strike happens, it would leave nearly 300,000 commuters with very few transportation options.

The unions are demanding wage increases of 14.5% over four years.

MTA officials have offered slightly smaller increases and a $3,000 lump-sum payment.

MTA officials have previously said to cover extra costs, they may have to cut service, reduce jobs or even hike fares up to 8% next year, but labor leaders say that's not true.

The last LIRR strike was back in 1994 when workers walked off the job for two days.

For Amazin fans on the Port Washington Line, the Mets will run a shuttle bus, departing from the Manhasset LIRR Station.

Round-trip shuttle tickets are $8.99 per ticket and $25 for a family of four.

Fans will get refunded if there is no strike and the shuttle service isn't needed.

The Mets have already had been offering shuttles from the Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City and Walt Whitman Shops in Huntington Station this season.

In the event of a strike, the Mets will add additional shuttle buses at those locations for this weekend's series.

The Mets are hosting a three-game series against the Yankees: Friday 7:10 p.m., Saturday 7:15 and Sunday 1:40 p.m.

LIRR talks have ended for the day on Wednesday and are expected to resume Thursday.

Both sides are exchanging proposals and both sides say they have found Gov. Hochul's comments encouraging.

She said nobody wins in a strike and everyone will be hurt.

"The riders who rely on the Long Island Railroad and the thousands of workers will lose wages," Hochul said. "The LIRR is the life blood of this island. Nearly 300,000 riders take it every single day. and we know that a strike would have significant impacts on the entirety of Long Island."

She said the potential strike was accelerated by unprecedented action from the Trump administration.

"Now, of course, no one wants a strike. I don't want a strike. That's why I've told the team at the MTA to bargain and that's exactly what they're doing," she said. "But I'll tell you this. I continue to worry about affordability for Long Islanders. I'm not willing to ask Long Islanders to pay unnecessary fare hikes or higher taxes. I worked hard to put the MTA on stable footing, and I will not risk that stability. So we have to be ready for whatever happens, and we are."

She said in order to get a settlement, the unions need to start working to find a compromise.

"Yes, workers deserve to be paid fairly for their work, but at the same time, we must be responsible with public funds and the fares paid by Long Island residents," Hochul said."I believe that a deal can be reached here, and I'll continue to urge both sides to work together to avoid a strike."

Talks between the sides have resumed in Midtown on Wednesday, at the headquarters of one of the unions involved.

MTA officials say they are no longer seeking work rule concessions that the LIRR unions have flatly rejected during negotiations.

The agency had offered a salary increase as high as 4.5% in the fourth year of the contract under negotiation -- if workers agreed to make concessions to the longstanding work rules. The negotiating point has been a non-starter.

Instead, the MTA is now offering signing bonuses and one time payments, which the union has also rejected as gimmicks.

Talks are focused on the fourth year of the contract. LIRR unions want 5%, to reflect the increasing cost of living. MTA has offered in the 3% range.

While the unions called Gov. Hochul's comments Monday "encouraging," they characterize the talks as stalled. But MTA officials say they believe they are "very close."