LIRR Restores Full Service After 3-Day Strike as MTA Defends 4.5% Pay Deal

8 articles · Updated · amNY · May 19

Noon departures from Penn Station and Grand Central Madison restarted LIRR service Tuesday, with the railroad fully restored by 4 p.m. after its first strike in more than 30 years.
Rob Free said the tentative pact with five unions covering 3,500 workers can be ratified without raising fares or taxes, arguing other contract changes made a 4.5% 2026 raise financially workable.
Reports said the deal also includes a $3,000 lump-sum payment, a contract extension beyond 12 months, electronic paychecks and limits on overtime accrual for virtual training.
The MTA had resisted the unions' push for a 5% raise, warning it could blow a hole in the budget and set a benchmark for other labor talks, especially with TWU Local 100.
Union members still must ratify the agreement, and the MTA board is scheduled to vote Wednesday.

Will the LIRR's 4.5% raise set a costly precedent for the MTA's talks with 40,000 other transit workers?

After a $180M economic hit, was this strike an unavoidable failure of the federal mediation process?