Potential LIRR strike delayed as unions ask the Trump administration to intervene
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Long Island Rail Road union leaders asked for a Presidential Emergency Board on Monday, delaying any potential strike for months -- and likely until May.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen announced 99.9% of its 529 active LIRR union members voted to authorize a strike on Monday.
However, the unions announced they are formally requesting that President Trump establish an emergency board. This means that the strike will not occur this week and would extend the timeline for a possible strike into May next year.
A strike of more than 3,000 workers was set for midnight on Thursday and would have impacted more than 270,000 customers.
"These passengers, they're our friends, our neighbors, our family, and they should be treated much better than we've seen over this past week," said BLET Vice President James Louis. "This is why the five unions decided to be the grown up in the room and request President Trump to appoint a presidential emergency force per the Railway Labor Act and allow both sides to present the proposals to the board."
The unions are seeking a 16% raise over a four-year-period, instead of the 9.5% on the table.
The union seemed to agree that further mediation would not result in an agreement. But as late as last week, they had not seemed willing to request White House intervention.
On Monday, Louis said he believed the request by the unions was a first.
"To the riders who depend on the Long Island Railroad every day, strike is the last thing we want," said BLET General Chairman Gilman Lang. "We understand the hardship it would cause, and will do everything possible to avoid that outcome."
A spokesperson for the MTA released the following statement:
"After months of radio silence, these outlier unions have finally admitted that they weren't serious about negotiating. They never had a plan to resolve this at the bargaining table," said MTA Chief, Policy and External Relations John J. McCarthy. "If these unions wanted to put riders first, they would either settle or agree to binding arbitration. And if they don't want to strike, they should say so - and finally show up to the negotiating table. This cynical delay serves no one."
Gov. Kathy Hochul has blamed the potential strike on President Donald Trump, essentially saying the president was to blame for the National Mediation Board releasing the unions from mediation.
"The reckless actions of the Trump administration's National Mediation Board pushed this dispute toward a strike instead of keeping talks on track," Hochul said in a statement. "Make no mistake, this is a strike encouraged by Donald Trump and enabled by his allies in Washington. I remain incredibly frustrated with the continued inaction and silence of Long Island's two Republican members of Congress."
The MTA previously announced its contingency plans for commuters.
LIRR employees last went on strike in 1994. That strike lasted for two days.
ALSO READ: Gov. Hochul weighs in on potential LIRR strike, blames White House
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
