With the first weekday commute approaching, negotiators for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and unions representing Long Island Rail Road workers resumed bargaining Sunday, continuing late into the night, as a strike that began the previous morning left the system shut down. The effort to restart negotiations involved the National Mediation Board as well as Gov. Kathy Hochul, who told reporters Sunday that she and MTA leadership were ready to do whatever was necessary to help move talks forward.
A key question for riders was timing: even if negotiators reached a deal on Sunday, it was not clear the parties could get sufficient crews and trains in place before Monday’s commute. The National Mediation Board, the federal labor agency that oversees labor relations for railroads and airlines, convened representatives for both sides at an afternoon meeting aimed at jump-starting the discussions that continued past 10:30 p.m.
Earlier Sunday, Hochul appeared with the MTA’s chief executive and said the state was prepared to assist the negotiations as the strike entered its second day. Speaking at a news conference, she said, “We all know that the railroad is the lifeblood of Long Island. Without it, life as we know it is simply not possible. The bottom line is, no one wins in a strike. Everyone is hurt,” and Hochul offered to provide refreshments, according to the report.
The LIRR serves hundreds of thousands of commuters, including riders in New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens as well as long-island counties with a population close to three million people. Most riders live outside New York City, and the railroad’s shutdown affected commuters and leisure travel alike, including sports fans headed to Manhattan’s Penn Station hub for events at Madison Square Garden.
The strike began at 12:01 a.m. Saturday after five unions representing about half the workforce walked off the job for the first time in three decades. The LIRR’s service disruption was visible across the weekend, with departure boards listing “No Passengers” for scheduled trips rather than showing trains by destination, the report said.
In the near term, Hochul said essential workers among roughly 250,000 weekday LIRR riders could take buses into the city from six Long Island locations starting at 4 a.m. Monday. She also said there would be an evening rush-hour bus commute from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. for those who need to travel during peak hours.
The parties have been negotiating a new contract since 2023, with talks stalled over wages and healthcare premium costs. The Trump administration became involved in September after unions asked for a panel of experts, but the panel did not produce a deal; the unions were then legally allowed to strike starting at 12:01 a.m. Saturday.
During the Sunday news conference, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said the unions’ proposals would “blow up the MTA’s budget,” but he also said the MTA was willing to meet the unions halfway on wages. The unions, which include locomotive engineers, machinists, signalmen and other workers, said in a statement after the news conference that they “are not asking for special treatment — they are simply fighting to keep up with the skyrocketing cost of living in the New York region after years without a raise,” according to the report.
Hochul and Trump traded blame over the walkout. Hochul, a Democrat, said the Trump administration cut mediation short in September and helped push the negotiations toward a strike, while Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he had nothing to do with the strike, adding, “No, Kathy, it’s your fault, and now looking over the facts, you should not have allowed this to happen.” Hochul, meanwhile, urged companies and agencies that employ Long Island workers to allow them to work from home when possible, saying, “It’s impossible to fully replace LIRR service. So effective Monday, I’m asking that regular commuters who can work from home, should. Please do so,” the report said.